Long time, no post.

I really must apologize to the 10 (maybe that many) readers of my blog. As you can see, it's been a little while between blog posts.
Of course, much has happened. I've been working with XMC (that's our church's Master's Commission program) every week, and leading worship, painting, teaching voice and piano lessons, running around after my children (and husband makes 3), cooking, yada, yada, yada.
My life is full. I am extremely blessed. I don't say that in a religious or off-handed manner. Like when someone asks you how you're doing, and you say in the habitual cheerleader churchgoing response, "I'm BLESSED!!"
Really.
I am fully aware of what I deserve. And what I don't.
Everything in my life right now proves the grace of God. I don't deserve any of it.
He loves me. Jesus truly loves me. With no strings attached.
(Also, I finally re-joined the Bible study group with Ma Belle and our book is "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I had my students in XMC read it and write a report on it this year. If you haven't had the chance to be blown away by this page turner, read it.)
I'm back and trying to keep this up. Thanks for reading.

Song of the Week

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.