Homesick

Here we are again at the end of summer. Sometimes I think that this is the best and the saddest time of the year all wrapped up into one exhilaratingly quick blink of an eye; and then its fall. This is the time of year that we've all spent so much time outside that the outdoors feels like home. You are so used to the emerald greens that when they start to fade you continually tell yourself that it isn't true, your eyesight must be getting bad.

"Poor little booger," my oldest is playing with the baby when suddenly starts lamenting. I inquire about this statement. To which he responds, "he has got to be sooo homesick now." What we are at home. Doing our familiar bedtime routines. How could you get more "at home" than that? Well let me tell you, through the eyes of a child. B just pointed up to the ceiling. I look up and the realization of what he meant poured over me like honey - sweet, yet the implications were sticky. I often forget where my true home is. Yet my children who haven't graced this earth as long as I have, haven't taken their eyes from their true home. Some days they are a blessing to me, the unrestrained happiness only a child can know. Their eyes and hearts are still mostly pure and untainted by the world. Yet I know that there will be a time soon when they too will have to have their sins washed away. To regain this purity that is so natural to them now.

Yes, now that you mention it, I'm homesick, too. We all are. Maybe we don't all know it because we fill the void with something else, but all of our hearts are yearning to be clean and pure and for our home in the sky.

This year we are keeping my oldest home to school him here. After long deliberations, we have decided that, for now, this is the best that we can do. We are looking forward to this year, many neat things planned. I do believe that God has lead us to this path for a reason. What exactly I'm not sure yet. It seems like my path in life is meandering, but I know that He leads me down the straight and narrow.

Love,
A.

It has been hot.... real hot. We have all had cabin fever. And have been cranky. Some days the little window air conditioner we have could barely keep up with itself let alone the room it was in. Outside has been worse. But lets not talk about unpleasant things.

Yesterday afternoon the rain came. I don't think that it has rained since June (I can be proven wrong on technicality, but it hasn't rained like it needs to rain.) Today, the coolness of the morning greeted us in such a way that I knew today would be a good day. Not to cool. And thank you God not to hot. Today has been a day for doing things.

However, I had an appointment to keep, well a morning one and then an afternoon one. I took my boys with me. Yup, a little disgruntled about the situation. So afterwards I surprised them by taking them to play and walk around the park and then to get sno cones. Its amazing how one day of great weather soothes the soul. Mends hurt feelings. In the same way reading His word does. I need to work on spending more time outside and with Him.

A look at the head joint. 

Any idea what this is? Someone gave it to me last night. It has six tone holes like a pennywhistle. It holds like a flute, but with a strange little mouthpiece so you don't have to worry about embrouchure. A fife, maybe? 

So much to do, so little...

It's been way too long since my last post. I guess we've all found ourselves in over our heads as far as business. A., I think of you often, even though I don't get to see you so much during the summer.

I've been so busy since I started teaching. And the church I go to has been eagerly creating opportunities for me to use what musical skills I have. Not that they're suffering for musical talent. They have wonderful singers and musicians, great guitarists, and the pianists and organists are topnotch. It's just that they're always looking to plug in new musicians any way they can.

I've rediscovered tin whistle, which is a little-recognized, but much-heard instrument. Most people who enjoy movies have probably heard it played. It's the instrument that makes the theme to Titanic so haunting. Most people think it's a flute played very expressively. It's not. It's a Celtic instrument, kind of an end-blown flute. I played whistle right after I graduated from college, put it away for a long time when I was busy with ballet, then raising a family, and now I'm back at it. I use it as a devotional tool. Sometimes I play to God. Sometimes I laugh or weep with it. And sometimes I play it in church. Our scheduler has put my whistle on the offeratory list. Not long ago we put together an arrangement of "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" with violin, tin whistle and piano. I hope it was as devotional to listen to as it was to play.

Only thing is, now I have three instruments (whistle, guitar, keyboard), plus voice, to keep up with and practice each day and still be conscientious about raising the kids and being a good wife and mom. This could never have happened when the kids were younger. And it's my feeble excuse for not keeping up with the blog.

A., I'm praying for you during the busiest part of raising your new boy. You and your family are on my heart often.

I know many of our two or three regular readers are out of the habit of checking back, but if you ever check this way again, please drop a line in the comments. I'd love to hear from you. And I'll try to get busy and write regularly again.

Certain Paths

God never fails to surprise. Certain paths that I thought I was choosing by my own free will. I now know that He was leading me. And for a purpose.

I've been blessed with the birth and 9 1/2 weeks of raising my second son. This is so much more than what I imagined. Yes, different. No, not what I would have chosen. But I do know that All things God works together for His good.

I have spent the last several years developing myself spiritually and mentally. Challenging myself to know God more. To read more. To live more. To cook more. To garden more. To be healthier. To be more frugal. God was actually challenging me, not I challenging myself. Its fairly clear now. He knew that in order to raise my next son, that I needed to know many new skills for the challenge ahead. I'm glad I've already stored up that information, because learning on the job would have been a bit harder.

My first son has been his own challenge to raise. And I'm continually learning. I trust that God is steering me in the right directions with him. But, I can't believe how different my second son is. With his own set of challenges already. We have had many dietary issues with him, and after weeks of trial and error, my diet is restricted to meet my sons needs. I now have to read all labels. If I cook from scratch that is best. Which I now know how to do fairly well. I can eat whatever I raise in the garden, so out come the well worn gardening gloves. But most importantly I need to draw from my knowledge of God's love for me to make it through my days. The verses that I have memorized are honey to my soul when I need to be nourished. No I don't have time to dig and ponder over the word. But, I have a wellspring in my soul that will not run dry in times of need.

Follow your heart down the path that God leads it. And surely He will care for you all of your days.

Love,
A.

World Water Day but No Water for Terri

I'm bumping Allthings2All to headline status today. Catez expresses it well on Terri Schaivo's situation.
Allthings2all

Terri to Appear before Senate Health Committee

Will the hospice remove the tube anyway? To do so would mean being held in contempt of Congress.


My Way News: "The Senate Health Committee has requested that Terri Schiavo and her
husband, Michael, appear at an official committee hearing on March 28.
Earlier Friday, a House committee was issuing congressional subpoenas
to stop doctors from disconnecting the tube."

Pray Hard!!

U.S. Congress steps in for Terri Schiavo. Pray that they will succeed in saving her life. Wonder if Michael Schiavo realized what a firestorm he would shake up.
My Way News

Today I found God in....

…..a random act of kindness.

This morning I was really too tired to be a good Godseeker, although I did manage a chapter from Scripture. Good reading, but I found Him elsewhere today. Unexpectedly, I found Him in this "random act of kindness." And the person managed to leave the impression that I was the one doing the favor. Better explain this one, I think.

It really started last night as I tossed, fidgeted and raised my head from time to time to check the clock. From about 10:30 to close to 3:30 I did this--knowing I would have to be up by 5:30.

But I guess I should really go back two weeks to the day I first realized I was coming down with the flu that's been dogging a lot of us around here. And it's been with me for lo these two long, dreary weeks. After about four days on my back, I was able to drag back to work and get on with my life, but it's really still there. Every day I've awakened tired and gone to bed exhausted. Not to complain, but you have to understand how precious my sleep is right now.

Back to last night. After falling asleep around 3:30, I hauled out of bed at the usual time and went in to work. The voice was a bit better, so I downed a disgustingly strong cup of coffee as I prepared and started working on the voice stuff. Oh, did I ever mention that I work part time at a local radio station? Just an hour in the morning. I record some voice liners, weather and public service announcements, as well as a bit of trivia about old 60's tunes. I get done by seven am, hurry home to get the kids ready for school and we all pile in the car and head out. My guy teaches college, I teach music K through high school, and the kids, of course, learn. A bit challenging under normal circumstances, it's been gruelling these past few weeks, and this morning--all I can say is, I was glad to be a coffee drinker.

I went home, this morning, wrestled the kids into their clothes, thrust some breakfast into their hands, and shoved everyone out the door. We got to school, I got my preschooler settled into her classroom, and raced down to my first class. I opened my briefcase, only to find--all my music was back home.

I stared at row upon row of 4th through 6th grade students, realizing that if any one of them had forgotten his or her homework, I would have docked the grade 10%. And here I was with nothing prepared--at least nothing prepared at school.

I grabbed my guitar and we sang a song, talked about phrasing and the structure of songs, then I let them try their hand at composing. I redeemed the situation by turning it into a learning experience.

Next class went better. The jr.-sr. class was having band day. Instruments and voices--they were pretty well self-contained.

I went downstairs for a short break, knowing that for the youngest classes I had nothing. Nothing. I shared my quandry with a couple of teachers. One even offered to let me use her car to go get my stuff, but I knew with two hours of sleep under my belt, I had no business behind the wheel of her car.

Then the church/school secretary offered to drive me home. Well, I hate to inconvenience anyone--I always have--but I had no choice, really. So I took her up on it.

Here's the part where she left me feeling she was the one receiving the favor. In the course of the trip, she mentioned she had prayed that morning that God would send someone her way who needed help. Well, now, I know from experience that when you make God an offer like that, He could send you someone with a really big, really inconvenient problem just to see what you would do with it. So I guess my coming along wasn't so bad. I don't live that far from school. I guess it got her out of the building for a few minutes. And for me it was kind of nice just to be someone's answer to prayer. Know what I mean?

It got me thinking. You know, since we've started this RealGodseekers blog, we've found God in all kinds of places. In the garden, in big, neat opportunities, in sweet morning walks. And today--well, today I found God in the kindness of a friend.

What about ash Wednesday for the Christian?

Ok ladies- I have been quiet but not forgotten (I hope) Things are my normal crazy busy and God is good. Even in some hard times (and they have really gotten stinky at work) I am given some good. I'm reminder that the Lord gives and takes away. My playground fundraising has paid off and we will see some new equiptment going in this Spring. The ladies Sunday school class idea has taken hold and we will soon see how this progresses. And lastly (for now) the Performing Arts Ministry book study idea has begun with several participating. The best news of all is that I am not leading everything. People are getting plugged in to use their gifts and strengths. I am merely been coreographing. (Which after another class I have been in may be my spiritual gift- administration). Oh I almost forgot, the I- team. Or passion team or whatever we called it. The recommendations were made to the elders. I had a HUGE concern that no one would see the impact. That we would only be successfully at making the I-team more passionately spiritual. Well, wrong. God laid it in the hearts of the men from the team to step up into leadership positions. As a result, all of the men are now elders/deacons or staff members. The women of course continue to be strong supporters. But having the men that went through with us and understand the recommendations be leaders is a big plus.

OK what does this have to do with Ash Wednesday?? Nothing. I was just up dating you before I got to my question. So what about it? I know it signifies the beginning of Lent. But is it biblical?? I tend to think a lot of the Catholic traditions stem from strong politics. So is Ash Wednesday biblical or political?? Can anyone give my reference and verse??

Quiet

God always seems bigger to me in the morning when I take the dog out , and its quiet & cold. On winter mornings, everything is pale and pastel, the pinks and yellows of the sun rising. There is more evidence of God, then of man. On these dreaded winter mornings God always seems to be all around me. I breath fogs up in front of my face, the snow or frost crunches under my feet. Everyone else is still inside sleeping. Sometimes I hear birds singing and squirrels chattering, The dogs tags jingle. But mostly its quiet. Just me (& the dog) and God. This is when I like to pray.

This winter that I was not looking forward to, is passing swiftly. There is still a lot of cold days left. But not many. And there are only 5 weeks until the new baby comes. I am sad and joyous because this time has gone by so fast. I still have lots to get ready, but many things are getting checked off the list.

Love,
A.

Inaugural thoughts

I caught just a bit of the inauguration yesterday. A television played all day in the lunchroom at school and classes were herded in to hear the President's swearing in, speech, and a few musical pieces.

It was nice, I guess. The music was a bit boring. It all seemed subdued for the grandness of the occasion. The President's speech left me uneasy, somehow. He seemed promise us some things that are outside the realm of human possibility. Claims were made about the power of democracy that left me feeling that this concept was almost deified. Democracy will conquer tyranny. Not just in a few countries where we can make a real difference--but worldwide. Ushering in peace on earth everywhere.

Democracy can do great things, and has, but it is not God. I get uneasy when people start talking about achieving peace on earth, since Christian Scripture warns us to beware when we hear such talk. Only Christ is able to achieve some of the goals the President has aspired to reach. The speech seemed to me to be sprinkled generously with humanly unachievable goals. Which is the core of what left me uneasy. Is this what the President really believes? Why?

Now, I'm a Bush supporter. I voted for him, support him, and have committed to praying daily for him. The speech has inspired me to redouble those prayers. Which may be a hidden blessing. If others are similarly inspired, that can only be a good thing.

Often when I see President Bush, I see an incongruous face. Often the Bush detractors mistake it as an unintelligent one. No--just incongruous. The eyes, steely and determined. The mouth--embarrassed. That's right. He's not quite comfortable in his own skin.

Understand that although he is from a political family, he was raised as a young boy in a small town, with middle class kids as friends. Leaving him with the impression that he's just a regular guy. And a regular guy that finds himself the leader of the free world might be a bit embarrassed by the success. Hence the incongruous face. And the speech. It does not sync with the regular guy part of him that makes people trust him.

Here's a link to a Peggy Noonan column which is pretty good, especially since she agrees with me. ;-) Also, scroll down half the page to a carricature by Ismael Roldan that captures that incongruous face better than any I've ever seen.
OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan
BTW, to somewhat offset the criticism, I DID appreciate the way the President referred to God throughout the speech. And thank God the prayer of invocation was not taken away from us this year.


-Godseeker

The Ordinary and the Extroardinary

Getting away for the holidays was wonderful. First, though, I had to get over the guilt of spending time playing instead of developing curriculum. I guess it runs with the territory of being a first-year teacher.

Vacation at our parents' houses is always a break from news "junkiehood." First we go to my mom's house, who up until this year didn't have a television. Now she has a TV, but no cable, so we were woefully dependent on network TV for our news. I found I'd just as soon do without.

Then we got to my guy's parents' house, where there's cable, but you just find yourself watching less TV after going without at my mom's. So we felt somewhat sheltered from news from around the world.

The Sunday after Christmas, there was a big ice storm in South Carolina. This in a part of the country where a single snowflake has the power to shut down entire school systems. Lest anyone think I'm making fun, remember, I grew up in that part of the country. We kids lived for the single snowflake.

So that Sunday morning we awoke to the sight of glistening twigs, grass blades and clinging leaves seemingly encased in glass. Beautiful. We channel-surfed to find out if there would be church. My mother-in-law was anxious to show off the girls. As she surfed with annoying speed through channel after channel, switching just as I thought we might be getting to the church closings, I caught a breaking news story about a large earthquake in the Indian Ocean--8.0, I think they said. I remember thinking that this was pretty big, but maybe since it was supposedly out at sea, it wouldn't do too much damage to human structures.

At church we played open chimes and did a Christmas service and generally sheltered ourselves from the world around us. At least that's how I remember it when I look back now, because as we contentedly celebrated Jesus' birth, reports were apparently rolling in of tsunami waves fanning out to devastate an entire region, wiping out a third of the people there. It reminded me of the book of Revelation, and how a third of the earth is going to be wiped out. We just got a glimpse of the caliber of event that would kill a third of the earth, and what it would be like to experience it.

The Tuesday after Christmas we went down to Myrtle Beach on a cold, crisp day. The girls frolicked in their heavy coats and we walked along the beach as I imagined the horror of a thirty foot wave driving in from the sea.

So here we are, back from a relaxing vacation, and I'm already sleep-deprived and fighting a head cold. It's three degrees out as I write. But God continues to do new things in my life. Imagine!

Our first Sunday back, the choir director asked if I would sub for her directing choir. After assuring her I had never done such a thing (at least not for adults), I said sure, I would be glad to do my best, for what it was worth. So now she's taken on the task of teaching me choral conducting! It's already helping with the kids at school, and I've led the church choir once so far, and it's an exciting new thing. Who would have guessed such a neat thing would happen to me?

I don't know why I'm sharing all this. The original idea for the blog was to show ordinary Christian ladies finding God in ordinary things. It seems to have evolved into ordinary Christian ladies facing extraordinary things in their lives. A. with her baby. Heiress seeking new ministry opportunities. Jomama will graduate from Bible college soon. Although this is extraordinary in itself, I'll bet it leads to extraordinary things in her life, too.

I guess I'm finding that extraordinary things can happen in anyone's life if she'll let them. But life happens in seasons, and there are times of ordinariness, such as finding God in your garden, and times for the extraordinary. So if you're going to get a full picture of a Christian woman's life, you might as well see it all. Because when God is allowed to be in it all, it's all extraordinary.

Christmas frolicking at the Beach