A favorite new poem I had never seen before.

This is my new favorite poem.

I read it to Ellie last night as we were side by side, laying on the couch.

When I first saw it, my breath actually caught in my throat.

In case you can't read the above, here it is in easier to read format:

You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I could not buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky.

You are my Honolulu moon;

You are the book I did not write;

You are my heart's unuttered tune;

You are a candle in my night.

You are the flower beneath the snow;

In my dark sky a bit of blue,

Answering Disappointment's blow

With "I am happy! I have you!"

The author? Anne Campbell.

I love it.

It reminds me of my children each time I read it.

And how I should treasure them as "the book I did not write".

God is the Author of their story, I am merely a steward entrusted with their care.

And a look in their eyes, faces smiling, full of trust and unwavering love, makes me certain of my calling as a Mom.

God has anointed me for this before any song grew in my thoughts, or fell from my lips.

Beautiful Feet

A couple nights ago, I noticed Drummer Boy had something on the soles of his feet.

Somethings.

Actually, it looked like a bunch of freckles.

"What are these?" I asked him.

"Oh, probably some prickles I walked in from the yard."

(I love his use of probably. More often than not, he uses this word when he knows exactly why.)

"You stepped in prickles today?" I continued.

"No, the other day I think," he answered nonchalantly.

I felt like the world's worst mom for:

a) only noticing days later my son had prickles imbedded so far into his foot that the skin was actually smooth to the touch,

b) what now needed to take place as a result of the aformentioned maternal negligence.

The following pictures show Biker Man's surgical prowess.

I cringe even now looking at them.

But it got me to thinking.

Sometimes in my walk with God, I walk where I shouldn't, following my own wisdom, and not the Holy Spirit's leading.

In the process, I get sidetracked, Walking where I shouldn't.

Junk gets stuck in my feet, and remains there until I stop and tell God about it and ask Him to remove it.

Only He can.

Then I can walk unhindered and in obedience to bring His Good News to those He sends me to.

Then I'll have beautiful feet.

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7

Two Weeks Ago

So, from my last blog, you know we were in Tulsa after leaving Colorado.

On the way, we stopped in Hays, Kansas.

We took the kids to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.

It was very educational.

Especially since secular Science doesn't believe The Great Flood happened. (read all about it in Genesis 6.)

All of these fish bones were found in the middle of Kansas!

Crazy, right?

I won't give a geology lesson, I promise.

But Ellie and Drummer Boy sure got one!

After the field trip stop, it was on to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a night of worship, and weekend services with some wonderful people.

Because I am the main photographer, and I was onstage the entire time, there are no pictures with Pastor Bill Story or Pastor Paul Aelmore from Bethel Worship Center.

It was truly a memorable time in God's presence. We just have to work on photographic evidence.

We stopped in on Pastor Danny and Sarah Borrell at Faith Center in Tulsa.

I really really love them.

Now we are back home.

I tried to blog about this a few days ago, and then a couple days ago again, but couldn't attach any pictures.

From now on, I guess I'll have to blog without photos to stay current.

It's just not as fun.

Wednesday, I have an interview with a local radio station, KAJN (102.9 fm).

They have been playing "Stars" from Declaration.

I hope I don't ramble.

Why are you laughing?

I can do that, right?

Quotes

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there,

They have to take you in."

- Robert Frost

"Happiness is a place between too little

and too much."

- Finnish Proverb

"The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one."

- Jill Churchill

"Three things in human life are important.  The first is to be kind.  The second is to be kind.  And the third is to be kind."

- Henry James

"'You can't invent things like time,' Violet said.  'You can invent things like automatic popcorn poppers.  You can invent things like steam powered window washers.  But you can't invent more time.'" 

- Lemony Snickett

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93 percent perspiration, 6 percent electricity, 4 percent evaporation, and 2 percent butterscotch ripple."

- Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

And my favorite one so far....

"Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present."

- Albert Camus

Imagination

Well, I have been sick with some kind of sinus thing for the last few days.  

I was in Natchez, Mississippi for a couple days over the weekend, led worship at our friends' church.  Scott and Suzanne Green are now the senior pastors at First Assembly in Natchez.  They are doing an amazing job loving people into the family of God!  The band met me up there Sunday afternoon, and we had a blast just worshiping and sharing a time of testimony and prayer.  I was coughing a little, not feeling the best, but I guess I thought it would be over by Monday. 

Fast forward to today....I'm still fighting whatever this is, have been coughing at night, and my head feels like it's going to explode.  Fantastic.  

But in the middle of all this, my son is playing away, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I can't chase him around the kitchen.  He has taken a slinky and a ball and is making up some game that has occupied him for awhile now.  I don't think this counts as "vain imagination" as he is staying busy, which helps me rest.  You never know what your imagination will do for someone else if you put it into practice.  I'm just saying.  You know that old saying, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop"?  Well, I don't understand how Little Drummer Boy can get himself into trouble on so many occasions when his mind is never ever idle.  

Ever.  

Last Saturday he was running around the church nonstop, and I asked him to settle down.  He paused mid-stride to comment, "It's like I'm nocturnal or something!"  (He just learned what that word meant, but still, from a 5 year old??)

A week ago we were driving to my father-in-law's house after dark.  I made it very clear when we left that the children were in no way to get out of the car at Papa's house.  No way.  

"Mommy is just getting something from Papa's house, and we are going home.  Don't even ask to get out of the car."

"Yes ma'am."

About 8 miles down the road, we turned onto Papa's street.  I hear a little boy's voice from the back seat.  "Mommy, do you know what is the lamest of all?"

"No, what?"

"Not getting out of the car."

He must have been thinking of a way to pose the desire to get out of the car without actually asking that entire trip over.  

God, give me some of that imagination, just so I can keep up.