Is the YOU your family sees the same as the YOU the church people and others see?

Recently Facebook has been flooded with all sorts of tests that you can take.  What 80’s song are you?  What Bible character are you?  What type of food are you?  What dog breed are you?  How organized are you?  (stayed far away from that one!).  What’s your TRUE personality?  Who are you when no ones looking? And taking it a step further, who are we when only our family is looking?  Ahhh, there’s one worth talking about .  Or is it?  That question has always been one that I ask myself. 

I’ve worked with many teenagers that tell me that the parents that we see at church are certainly not the ones they see at home.  They say things like, “if you only know the Jekyll and Hyde that I see.”  Many women I worked with long to be the same, consistent person daily.  They desire the “what you see is what you get” character.   Being a pastor’s wife and living in parsonages near the church I really tried to be the same at home as I was at church.  If I’m to be honest I will tell you that that did not always happen.  My children even joke about some of the “quick changes” that I did from crazy, yelling mom to church lady. Not my finest of moments.

I recall one day when my kids were small,  (okay, probably more than one day), when I had raised my voice to where the walls were shaking.  Let’s just be frank, I was yelling and there was nothing nice about my tone of voice. Then there was the ring of the phone and I answered with the sweetest of pastor wives hellos that you could ever imagine (while still silently yelling and pointing my fingers at my kids to get doing what they should be doing).  I was the great multi-tasker.  I was sweet church lady on the phone and silent raging, finger-wagging mom where no one but my kids could see.  I think when I got off of the phone my husband just looked at me like, “wow, that was interesting exchange.”  I knew it was bad and I had been caught. 

Many of you will know this one.  Sunday morning, everyone is running late and mom has to get everyone moving in quick time.  What better than a good Sunday scream fest to get them all in gear right?  As a pastoral family this scenario happened to us many of times.  I would gripe and complain and yell all the way to church. If no one were around I’d even continue it walking up to the church doors.  The second I walked in with my family I would see a parishioner and I would shake their hand or hug them and say, “oh Mary, how are you today? God bless you and I sure hope you have a wonderful week bathed in Gods love.”  The whole time my family stands behind me fingers in throat gagging at my sickly sweet words that never got to them that day. 

So who are we when no one is looking?  Or when it’s only our family looking and no one else?  In my case I’ve had to admit that it’s not always been good.  However, my goal has always been “what you see is what you get.”  I so desire to be the same at home, at church, in the grocery store, on the mission field, etc…  It’s gotten better through out the years as I have consciously made an effort to have that constant integrity in my life.  I’m far from perfect and if you walk up to my house and knock on the door you just may hear me yelling at my dog or complaining about something. 

People all around us are looking for Christians that are real; Christians that are imperfect but live a life of integrity.  Is that you?  Or are you the Jekyll and Hyde that confuses someone that is trying to figure out what being Christ like is all about?  I’ll admit that I’ve not always been the finest of examples when I become crazy wife or mom but you learn to muddle through those times, ask for forgiveness, grow from them and move on towards a life of being that consistent you that you have always dreamt that we would be.  Let’s start 2015 with not another resolution that gets lost in the shuffle but with a goal to be the same for our families as we are for the rest of the world. 

Christ was born. Now what?

It’s the morning after Christmas, the packages have been opened, the boxes are stacked and ready to be taken out for recycling and the remnants of gifts can be seen scattered throughout the house.  The Christmas tree is lit but there is emptiness under its lowest branches, except for the wrinkled tree skirt that the gifts once laid on.  One might think it to be a sad day with all of the festivities and celebrating done for another year.  I look at it differently; it’s just the beginning of the celebrating.

Some of you will remember well when your children were born.  You anticipated for 9 months the coming.  You would prepare for the necessary items that you would have to have, prepare a room for the baby, and of course make sure you had many diapers on hand for this new little one.  The day of the birth was not the ending point.  It was just the beginning.

As we spent yesterday celebrating the birth of Christ we are thankful for the Savior that came to earth as a human born as a little baby.  When he was born the Shepherds went and told everyone because this was a big event.  The Savior of the world had finally arrived and it was just the beginning.  Just like what happened 2000 years ago, we too can joyfully tell people about Christ’s birth, but it doesn’t have to stop with just an announcement.  When a baby is born we do everything we can to get to know that new bundle of joy.  We spend time with him or her getting to know everything about them.  We stare at their face and see how their eyes are shaped, how they smile, the cute little dimple on the left side of their mouth.  We get to know them.  We don’t walk away from them the day that they are born. No, it’s only the beginning of getting to know them intimately. 

So too, the day after Christmas isn’t a day of sadness because the Happy Birthday Jesus cake has been eaten and we have to wait another year to make another.  We have the opportunity to get to know this Christ-child.  Just like a new parent does in getting to know their new child, we can begin today by truly knowing the Savior.  But how do we even begin?  We can’t hold him in our arms?  We can’t look at his face and see how he smiles or how he slowly falls asleep after drinking his bottle. 

Though we can’t physically make contact with our Savior, we can read about him and his character.  We can read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in the Bible and find out what type of person Jesus was.  If you are looking for a new study to do this season, go through these books and underline or write down anything that has to do with Christ’s character.  What type of person was he?  How can we in turn emulate those same characteristics in our lives?  Ephesians 5:1-2 says, Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

If we want to know someone, we need to spend time finding out who they are.  Jesus didn’t come to earth to be celebrated only once a year but came to give us life.  For us to truly know that life we need to find out who he is and live like he did.  Don’t end the Christmas season by just picking up all of the stray wrapping paper and bows, pick up God’s Word and start to find out who this special baby is that was born as the Savior of the world.

Photo Friday: In Memory of my friend Minerva Norzagaray

My dearest friend from Mexico, Miny,  lost her mom last night.  She passed away after having heart complications.  Her mom Minerva had the opportunity to travel to Michigan with Miny and myself to the Deeper Life Women's Retreat a few years back. (This picture is from that time-Minerva is on the far right).  She was able to meet many of my special friends here in Michigan and loved all of you that she met.  Minerva loved the Lord with all of her heart and wanted to see people come to know him in a personal way.  Today she is sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Until we meet again friend.

The Waiting Game

I’ve been thinking a lot over the last several days about waiting.  We’ve all had to wait, there’s no doubt about that.  Especially this time of year we find ourselves waiting in long lines at the grocery stores, Walmart and the department stores.  Everyone is out trying to get last minute gifts for loved ones or food for the big family meal.  The waiting I’ve been thinking about over the last week hasn’t been this type of waiting, but the type of waiting that Mary, the mother of Jesus, did. 

Mary was carrying the Savior of the world.  I think of the times that I came close to my due date with my babies, and how I was waiting  with anticipation to see what they would look like, what sex they would be and if they would be as perfect as in my mind I knew they were. (I was never disappointed).   Would they have dark hair, blond hair, or hair at all?   I can imagine that Mary had this same type of anticipation but even more so because there had been nothing “normal” about how her pregnancy happened and she wasn’t just carrying any baby, she was carrying the Prince of Peace.  Talk about pressure. I’m sure though, like any expectant mother she too was waiting to see what he would look like.  Would he look like a Savior?  What does a Savior even look like?  I bet she couldn’t wait.  I’m sure as she was traveling to Bethlehem on that long journey, that she really wanted the waiting to be over.  (It was probably not the most comfortable traveling experience for a gal that was 9 months pregnant). 

Today as I opened my advent devotions the title was “Wait for the Lord.”  I found it interesting as I had already chosen the theme of today’s blog last night.  It seems that waiting during this season is on everyone’s mind.  Maybe for you, like Mary, this season is a time of waiting in anticipation for the celebration of the birth of the Christ-child.  Excellent! But for many, this season becomes a different type of waiting; a stressful waiting.  Will our family gathering to celebrate Christ’s birth be a day of tension and unkind words flying about out of our mouths?  We wait to see just how that will pan out.  Will the packages that we ordered arrive on time?  We wait and we wait.  Will our family members traveling from far away make it here safely?  We wait. 

Though stressful, waiting is not a bad thing. In fact it’s Biblical.  Fr. Robert Barron reminds us to wait, but with the active expectation that God will move. The Psalmist had it right: "Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!" (Ps 27:14).  Is the Lord making you wait for some reason during this season?  Mary had no choice but to wait and she knew that in that waiting God would move; and he did.  In your waiting, whether it is at the grocery store over trivial things, or in the situations of your life be expectant that God will show up.  If you are looking for Him, he will.

Thank you Lord for my Messy Dining Room Table

As I lay awake last night (well actually this morning) at 2 a.m.  I knew for sure that I was going to be very tired today.  I like my sleep and I like to get enough of it.  The thought of the alarm going off around 6:30 a.m. didn’t do a whole lot for me.  In my fatigue I couldn’t help but smile because the reason that I wasn’t sleeping was because my boys, now on Christmas break from college, were watching a show and laughing and laughing.  Oh they weren’t laughing every 5 minutes or so, but about every 20 second a good belly laugh would come out from at least one of them if not both.  My sweet little boys were home on Christmas break and they were still on their college schedule and I shut my eyes, smiled and it was okay.

I thanked God over and over for the blessings of these two young men that I don’t get to see on a daily basis.  I’m thankful for the men in Christ that they have become; their kindness, their love, and their willingness to help good ole’ mom when she needs a hand (or a bandage).  I even began thanking him for the mess on my dining room table over the last couple of days.  The 3 piles of clean laundry that just sat there, the Lego helicopters built (because “mom, we are reliving our childhood” I was told), the miscellaneous things that were theirs that I didn’t have a clue where to put and a soda can where it shouldn’t be.  This was joy to me (when normally it wouldn’t be) because it meant that my boys were home and I got to have them here with me for just a short time, love on them, and let them sleep until 2 in the afternoon if they wanted to. 

Cereal is gone faster, coffee has to almost be made by the gallon, and a big thing of milk doesn’t last us a week and a half like it normally does when there is just three of us here.  On a daily basis my big giant bearded boy will come up and give me a hug…just because.  I listen to   Zach and Brian tease each other about things that make me giggle. I look over while we are watching a movie and get to see my little girl snuggle up against her big brother and him letting her. 

I’m blessed there is no doubt about that.  I’m thankful to God for what he has given me and the glimpses I see of him every minute through the actions of my children, the togetherness of my family and yes, even in the messiness of my dining room table.  If I have to eat my meals in the living  because the table is covered, I’m okay with that because I’m together with my family and that is a gift from God.

Warm Blankets

On this photo Friday I am thankful for friends who heard that I left my fuzzy, comfy blanket in Mexico.  One friend surprised me and sent me the green one in the mail(used in my bedroom only for those lovely nap times), and the blue print one was sent to me and made with love from the Clarkston FMC Mom's Squad(used in the living room only when I am working and snuggling watching a movie).  Who knew that God would bless me with 2.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE fuzzy blankets.  

A Christmas Picnic

My friend Melanie asked me to be a guest writer on her blog and to share about our traditions for Christmas.  Not only will you love this simple meal but you'll love checking out her full blog site.

How to read the story and Melanies blog link

A Friendship Remembered

Saturday was the annual Christmas tea for our church.  My daughter had plans so I was going by myself.  I figured that I would know someone there and just sit with them and enjoy a nice time of food and fellowship.  As I walked into the church my next-door neighbor, who owns a group home for the elderly, had her car parked right up by the door.  She was helping one of the ladies who live at the home out of the car to go into the church.  I found out then that she had brought all 5 of the ladies from the home.  I knew that this was not an easy thing for her to do and so I helped her get Chris out of the car and then offered to park her car for her so that she could slowly walk Chris into the church. 

When I arrived in the fellowship hall, it was only natural that I gravitated towards the table where these sweet, dear ladies were sitting.  They were my next-door neighbors and from time to time I would go over and visit with them and laugh with them.  Most all of the gals that lived there had some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s and so I always had to reintroduce myself to them.  Though they didn’t remember my name and that I lived next door they most always remembered me…..I think.  A few of the ladies had their daughters with them but two of them did not.  I sat next to Betty a wonderful, spunky 94-year-old lady with a wonderful sense of humor. 

As I sat down I reminded Betty of whom I was and that I was her neighbor.  We talked a little bit about Christmas and how nice it was to be at this luncheon.  Then she asked me if Joanne Stanford was there.  Not knowing everyone at the Christmas tea I told her that I was not sure.  My friend who owns the home overheard her ask me and she said, “No Betty, your friend Joanne lives in Lapeer and we are in Sandusky.”  Betty seemed to be okay with that answer and we continued visiting.  She asked me where we were and I told her that we were at the fellowship hall of the church.  She asked me again if Joanne was there.  I told her that no she was not but then asked her who Joanne was.  What I found out was that Joanne was her friend.  I don’t know from how far back in her life but it was evident that she was someone very special to her.  She associated being in church with seeing her friend Joanne.  She began to tell me that Joanne’s middle name of Elaine and that her middle name of Lorraine and so they would go around and say Betty Loraine and Joanne Elaine because it rhymed. It brought joy to my heart to hear this dear lady talk about this friend that at some point in her life had had such an impact on her.  I was sad that I couldn’t bring Joanne to her as it seemed so important to her.  I didn’t even know if Joanne was even alive or where she might live now, but Betty seemed to be content with her memories of this friendship from years past. 

The time eating lunch and visiting was accompanied by the wonder of the littlest things.  There was a Christmas bulb at each place setting and when I told Betty that it was a gift for her, I saw her eyes light up and she exclaimed, “How wonderful!”  Then when she saw the little Christmas stocking with chocolates in it she just couldn’t believe how nice and special the people had made this luncheon.  When I asked if she wanted white cake, cherry cake or a brownie for dessert she said, “well a brownie of course.”  Yes, of course. 

Betty may not remember each time that I am her neighbor, or what my name is but there are some things that even someone with dementia won’t forget; the taste of a chocolate brownie over cherry cake, the joy of receiving a gift and the memories of times past of a good friend.  Good friends are hard to find, especially those that will last a lifetime.  I’m glad that I was able to sit with Betty that day and be reminded of the important things in life.   Betty Loraine and Joanne Elaine—it does have a nice ring to it doesn’t it?  (Betty is pictured in the bottom right-hand corner)

Friday Photo: Missing Miny

I love how God puts people together at just the right time in our lives.  I'm thinking of my dear friend Miny from Mexico today and missing her.  She came along about the time we moved to a new city in Mexico and didn't know many people.  She and I became friends and as time went on became like sisters.  Don't we look alike?  :)  Recently she has been going through some hard times worrying about the health of her mom.  It's hard not being there to check up on her, pray with her, etc... But I'm so thankful that we have a God that hears my prayers for her and her mom even though we are 2000 miles away.  Though I can't pray with her I can pray FOR her.  What a blessing!  Love you sis.

Broken Glass, Blood and Band-Aids

I’m accident-prone.  Ok, I admitted it out loud.  Most everyone that knows me is probably shaking his or her head in agreement right now.  If you don’t know me then keep reading the blog for a few weeks and you’ll catch on really fast.  This middle-aged body has scars that if they could talk would be; first of all, just plain gross but second of all would tell great, funny stories.  I bring this subject up today because I have done a lot of typing and have had to hit the keys with my one finger that I sliced open yesterday on broken glass from the drain in our kitchen sink.  It started out so normal.  I had opened the cupboard.  It all went downhill from there when the domino affect began:  the bowl on the top shelf shifted, hit a glass, knocked it into the sink on top of a plate, broke the glass and the plate.  Of course I was careful to get all of the pieces so that no one would get hurt.  And as we all know the drains in sinks can catch the icky nasty stuff that somehow gets in there as well, apparently, as broken glass.  I suppose it didn’t help that I ran my finger around the drain itself to get it all out.  When I felt the pain I knew right away what it was.  Blood trickled down as I once again had to yell for my 14 year old daughter who is always on hand with Neosporin and a Band-Aid.  The neat thing is that all I have to do is yell, “Emily, I need help again.”  And she knows what to grab and how fast to come.  It’s almost like it wasn’t the first time.

I could understand someone who occasionally hurts themselves but to do it on a daily basis gets really old after awhile.  The previous day I was cutting cardboard with a razor blade and yep, you guessed it, I sliced open one of my other fingers.  I ran into the house yelling for that help from my girl and tripped over the dog barrier that we have up between rooms, dripping blood on the floor as my body lunged forward while my toe stayed clinging to the barrier.  Ouch!  It’s almost like a scene from a sitcom.  My family just stares and can’t help but laugh at me. I just let them because it all seems just so unbelievable these things that happen to me.

We bought a house right across from the hospital and medical care facility in town.  My husband likes to tell me that it may not be by accident that we did that.  You see when I wind up in ER (like I have more than once) it will be much easier for my family to come check in on me.  The accidents of this past week didn’t involve any stitches, x-rays or an ER visit but it did remind me that even in the most simple of life’s tasks I have to be on high alert…and have my little girl on speed dial ready to rush to me with the bandages. 

Photo Friday(one day late): Thankfulness for loving, Godly parents

As I look at this picture I find such joy in my heart that my parents and Brian's mom were able to join us at our home for Thanksgiving.  These three have modeled unconditional love to our family in the ups and downs of our 24 years of marriage.  They have always been there by praying for us, encouraging us, and supporting us in our choices.  As my children are now teenagers and young adults, my prayer is that I will be a Godly parent who will carry on the legacy of these 3 wonderful people--our parents.  Thank you Lord for what each one of them has given me. 

College Choir Boy’s Crying Mama

We walked into the church and as I looked up across the foyer there he was my grown up boy (man) dressed in a tailored tuxedo ready for the University Thanks and Praise choir concert to begin.  Oh my heart was full.  He looked so dapper, and I must say a little like Luciano Pavarotti with the big beard he sported. He smiled and walked towards us and then engulfed me in the hug that only my giant boy does, and I felt joy.  We chatted a minute and then walked in with my parents to find a seat.  I couldn’t just sit and wait though because Zachary was going to be arriving soon and I was thrilled to be able to see him as well.  It does a mother’s heart good to know that both of my boys are at the same college, live on the same floor and even choose to do things together.  Not only did Zachary come to encourage his brother, but also a few of Mitchell’s close friends including his lovely fiancé Courtney.  I was feeling all of the love before the concert even began. 

Now I have never been a public crier.  I never even used to cry very much.  I have friends that cry at the drop of a hat, but me, nope, I always have cried in my heart but not much out of my eyes…until…. well, I just don’t know but it’s been recently.  I looked down the row of where we were sitting and saw my family.  The whole row was my family.  I was so very thankful to be there.  You see last year my parents went and had to tell me how great the choir concert was because we were out of the country and couldn’t go.  My heart broke at missing many important milestones of Mitchell who was at college.  But you make it work, sometimes anyway you can.  One evening he Skyped us in to hear his guitar concert and another night Skyped us in as all of his friends cut off his looooong hair and shaved him bald.  But last night, to actually be there was pure and utter joy.

The huge choir walked up onto the platforms (tall, bearded boy in back of course).  The first song began and the beauty of the words, the harmony, the presence of God and my full mother’s heart started this urgent need for me to cry.  Tears began to form in my eyes making my boy too blurry to see.  Then I had to hold back really hard the loud, sobbing cries that one only does behind closed doors or in the shower. I just sat there thanking the Lord for the privilege of allowing me to be right there at that moment.  I got myself somewhat under control as we all sang a congregational hymn. 

I’d like to tell you that that first song was the end of my heart almost turning inside out with the need to weep giant tears, but it wasn’t.  Heaven came down when they sang a rendition of And Can it Be(of course one of my very favorite hymns).  I leaned over to my mother and said, “don’t mind me if I sit here and cry like a baby.”  She smiled.  The song was majestic and my son’s voice added to the chorus of what I felt at that moment that only Heaven could provide.  I was in a divine moment.  God was giving me a glimpse of what Heaven would be and I liked it.  Tears streamed from my eyes as I tried to control myself from just sitting there and sobbing.  Fortunately my mom came to the rescue with a Kleenex and within a few songs my contacts were blurry no longer and I could just sit, smile and enjoy the songs of thanks and praise.  How could things be anymore perfect and how could I even begin to tell God how thankful I was for him allowing me to be there?  There were no words.   

We have so much to be thankful for. There are those big things that happen that catch our attention and the small things that are with us everyday that if we are not careful we forget to give thanks.  As we look ahead at this week of Thanksgiving let’s allow Psalm 100 lead the way for us. If you feel the need to cry big, happy, joyful, thankful tears then go right ahead and do it.  I like to think that it makes God smile when he acknowledge to Him the things in which we are thankful.

             Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Worship the Lord with gladness;

    come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God.

    It is he who made us, and we are his[a];

    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving

    and his courts with praise;

    give thanks to him and praise his name.5 

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Photo Fridays

I am going to try to post pictures on Fridays that I have taken that are meaningful to me.  One of the way that God speaks to me is through His beauty and I LOVE taking photos to capture those moments. (my husband laughs because I always say "oh, I need my camera for this!" and he wonders why I can't just remember it in my mind).

Todays photo is actually the one that is the background of my blog page.  I took it in September when I attended a ladies retreat with the Countryside Free Methodist Church over on Lake Huron.  I actually got up purposely to watch the sunrise and I wasn't disappointed.  I was reminded over and over of God's majesty.  I had someone throw a stone in the very placid, peaceful lake and then took a picture.  I wanted to see how the ripples would appear.  Our lives are like that circle when the stone hits the peaceful waters, it extends more and more and more.  We have that ripple effect on all of those that we touch in our lives from day to day.  What I speak to someone may go to someone else, who then may say it to someone else.  I want my ripple effect to be a positive one that shares the message of Christ and it goes from person to person.  I want to have the affect that the rock has had in this picture.

Slapped in the face with the unexpected

This year’s theme for the Deeper Life Women’s Retreat that I attended was “Unexpected.”  I never thought about the theme much before I arrived but then during the weekend was faced with that word at every corner. I realized that yes; I was living in the midst of the unexpected. 

Last year at this time I never would have guessed that we would be living in Michigan and not on the mission field in Mexico.  We weren’t supposed to be back to Mexico. I didn’t expect that I would ever be sitting here writing a blog, in my pj’s, hoodie and fleece robe to keep from freezing.  I expected to be in Mexico wondering if tomorrow would be less than 100 degrees, sitting in my shorts prepping for this weeks Bible study that I would be teaching in Spanish. I didn’t expect to have the season of rest and reflection that I have had as we have transitioned to the states, but I’m glad that I have had it. 

You see the unexpected is not always a bad thing.  What seems very unexpected to us is never unexpected with God.  He’s got it covered.  He knows what is happening now, what will be happening in the future and he that whole picture thing?  well, he sees it.  We only see a portion and freak out.  Ok, I freak out.  If anything veers from the path that I think should and will be I just kind of flip out for a moment…or two, or three.  You mean we have to stay in Michigan for the school year?  AAAAAHHHHH where will we live, what about our stuff in our house in Mexico, what about our ministry there, what about our car just sitting in the carport ready for anyone to steal, what about Emily’s school that she is already registered for in Mexico, what about……and what about…..??? And the list can go on.  And God says, “So what about it? I’ve got you in the palm of my hands child and those things matter to me and are not off my radar.”  Phew, ok.  Breathe. 

So what God is saying is that I need to trust him in the unexpected?  Yes.  Such an easy answer but so hard to do, especially when you are a control freak.  Yep, that’s me.  I like to control things so they work just right.  I like to have my schedule and my list and know just what is going to happen now, in 6 months or a year.  When I have to give that up, it’s like torture.  But God says to trust him and here’s what I’ve found; God has always been faithful and trustworthy and has never let me fall.  He says is Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"

During this time of unexpectedness I’ve been drawn to the Psalms and have been encouraged by the words written there.  Let me share a few with you today that will hopefully encourage you in your journey of whatever unexpected thing you are going through.

Psalm 37:7a Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 33:20  We wait in hope for the Lord;He is our help and our shield.

Psalm 33:4  For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all he does.

He’s close to us, He is our help and shield, and He is faithful.  In the unexpected things of life help us to remember that.  Blessings to you today friends in whatever unexpected things may come your way

What in tarnations is this #BAE?

I’ve recently been able to hang out for several weeks with a bunch of teenagers, as I was the assistant director of the high school play they were doing and I loved it!!  These kids made me laugh, made me dance, made me sing and said strange things that this middle aged gal didn’t quite understand.

Did you know that these and many other teenage and college students are BAE? (Yep, me either.  I had no idea what this meant—then I asked them).  I think it’s the cool thing to say these days.  Cool?  Groovy?  Hip?  Well, whatever word they now use for that.  But I digress.  So what really is BAE?  The Urban Dictionary says that the word bae in Danish means poo or poop.  I’m not sure that you can believe everything the UD says but just throwing that out there. Well not actually throwing it, that would be gross. Just putting it out there for you to chew on.  Ugggg. That’s gross too, just forget it. 

So after asking around I’m catching on that when someone says that you are BAE, that it’s a good thing.  Don’t worry, they are NOT calling you poop, they are complimenting you. One of the teens might talk to me and just say, “You are so BAE.”  What they are meaning is that I am

            1.girlfriend/boyfriend (which is evident that I am not)

            2. Best friend (which I probably am not—but you never know)

            3. Someone you find cute or attractive (Oh, yes, that’s the one! Cute)

            4. Someone your "talking" to (this could be anyone.  Grandma you are BAE)

            5. Or the acronym of Before Anyone Else

            6. Baby,babe,boo,etc. (I don’t want a teenager calling me baby, babe or especially boo. Just sayin)

So if your teenager calls you BAE, don’t be so quick to run for the soap to wash their mouth out thinking they are calling you poop.  Quite the opposite.  They think you are pretty awesome. Seeing your name on Twitter with #BAE means you’ve really got it goin on.  

It’s important for us to listen to people and hear what they are really saying.  Make sure that you are not to quick to judge a teen when they talk to you thinking that the words that they are using are horrifying.  They may be trying to get to know you and find out who you are but only are able to do that in their language.  Yes my friends, teenage talk IS a different language.  Why do I love working with teens?  First of all, they keep me feeling young.  Secondly, I learn from them.  I observe how they see the world and adults and the topics of the day.  Finally, I see that if I can build into them just a little bit that they know for sure that even when their world may be rocked to the core that they know that there’s one person out there who will love and encourage them for who they are.  After all, I am BAE (or so they say).

The Fork Stabbing

So those of you that know me well know that I am clumsy and so very accident-prone.  It doesn’t take much for me to hurt myself or for me to be walking through a carpeted room and trip, trip over nothing.  It’s just the way that I roll.  Yesterday I was doing what every good woman of the home does and I was putting stuff away in the kitchen.  It always seems that things are always out of place in that room so I thought that I’d at least attempt to clean it up a touch.  Of course I was working around the dishes that had been washed and were drying in the drying rack.  Yes, you have found me out, I let my dishes air dry instead of drying them one by one and putting them away.  My thought is that with some time they will dry anyway so why spend that extra time and dry them.  (My mother in law would beg to differ).  I put the sugar away in the cupboard above the dishes, closed the door and  I brought my hand down right into 2 forks that were sticking out of the drying rack.  They settled in my hand for a quick second until I yanked my hand back, looked in between my two fingers and saw 2 marks that looked like I’d been bitten by the fangs of a bat.  I screamed and murmured—I mean who wouldn’t?  It hurt.  My dear sweet Emily came running in and automatically put the two forks in the sink to be washed.  I asked what in the world she was doing as I had just washed those.  Her reply, “No one wants to eat off a fork that’s been stuck in your hand.”  I suppose she had a point there.  She got right to work saying, “I’ve got you mom, and I’ll take care of you.  Now here’s a band-aid with Neosporin on it.  You’ll be fine.  If this band aid falls off, I’ve put 2 more in your purse so that you’ll have extra.”  Now that’s a great kid.  She’s dealt with running to moms rescue before and I’d say as a 14 year old she has perfected it quite well.  She’ll probably go into trauma medicine when she’s older since she’s so used to it living with me.  Yep, it’s bruised today and the fang marks are still there though not infected because of my daughter’s quick work with the Neosporin.  You know, Emily was a great reminder to me of what Jesus is like to us everyday.  Things happen that are out of our control and he’s right there saying, “I’ve got you, hang on, I’ll take care of you.”  I’m thankful for that promise that He gives us.  I’m also thankful for a teenage girl that drops everything to help her clumsy mom.   

Why in the world am I writing a blog

I’ve never been one to write down the things that happen day to day in my life.  I mean grammar is not my forte so why force it?  It's just easer to tell people about the things that happen to me.  I’ve found, however, that people need a little joy and encouragement in their lives from day to day and that sometimes I don’t have the chance to share face to face.  So here goes yet another blog out there for people to read and hopefully feel lifted up.  My goal:  simple.  I want to share God’s truths, the things that I learn from His Word, and the everyday crazy things that happen to me(and believe there are a lot).  I want to share life with you.  I want to be real.  I want you to be able to just sit back with a cup of Joe and enjoy.  Speaking of coffee.  Did you know that I LOVE it?  Today as I write I'm drinking out of my smiley face mug a lovely dark roast of Guatemalan.  These are the simple things in life that bring me joy. What brings you joy?