Strength for today

My heart is very heavy today for my friend who buried her daddy's body today. I wept like a baby in the back of the sanctuary because I know all too well how hard it is to say goodbye for now. And I forgot my Kleenex.

But I also joined in the chorus, singing with all my heart "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand," and "worthy is the Lamb," and "Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."

I know that my friend's dad and my dad are so fully alive and so full of joy while singing and jamming out in the presence of Jesus- for real- what could be better?

After the service, I picked up the kids and life kind of rolled on. When you have a five-year-old and a two-year-old, you don't have time to sit around and process your emotions. They were like whirling dervishes that left my house in a state of shambles this house has probably never seen.

But now, here I am, in a quiet house, thankful for the Lord imparting joy and hope in the midst of pain. I thought at first that my children's antics were a distraction- and I even got upset at one point at their crazy wild ways- but maybe they were to be a word to my heart. A way to find the strength to go on.

I'm standing on the diving board of deep thoughts, but it's late and I'm so very tired. Instead, I leave you with Anna Grace and Zeke- my two snug bugs in a rug.

I hope they make you smile like they do me.

And I hope that I don't have to go to so many funerals in 2010...

What the...

Dear Parents,
Enclosed you will find pages to a book. Over the holidays, please find some time to illustrate this book with your child. When we have received all the pages... Below are some different ways you and your child may choose to illustrate the book page.

Photographs

Pictures from the Internet

Actual objects cut and pasted on the page

Hand drawn pictures

Copies of pictures from a book, coloring book, etc

Magazine cut outs

Mix of all of the above

Okay... So how am I supposed to explain to Anna Grace what "excelsis" is. Did we get a bum deal or what? I'm going to have to call on whoever reads this and cares to help me come up with ways to illustrate excelsis.

On a different yet related note, I need to send a shout out to my friend Rebecca for helping me be a good snack mom and sharing her wisdom on how to create the cutest cornucopias ever (waffle cones and Trix). Thanks, friend!

Now back to eXcelsis...

At least they match

I've been going to the gym now for weeks with holes in my shoes. Maybe it's because I don't want to go shoe shopping with two children in tow. Maybe it's because I just haven't had time. Maybe it's because it just doesn't bother me that much. In any case, I am kind of amusing myself by just cruising along with holes in my shoes. Maybe I'm just weird. But you know what's really weird? That those holes happened in the first place.

So many things to love

A few of the things I love about you, Ezekiel David...

• the way you pretend to make coffee almost every night when you take a bath
• the way you flex those tiny muscles of yours to show us what Spiderman does
• the way you kind of bounce from side to side when you run like you're some kind of weeble
• the way you always ask, "Where we going mommy?" when we get in the car
• the way you say okay all the time. Like, "Don't take my cup, okay mommy?" and "I wear my hat, okay?"
  
• the way you announce that it's time for pancakes every morning. Six thirty is a little early, buddy, but you totally make up for it by going to bed like a champion every night and at every nap time without the slightest effort
• the way you always smile and laugh with your sister
• your sweet little belly and your so-soft cheeks
• the way you pat my back when you give me one of your fabulous hugs

I'm telling you, my little one, you can turn any frown upside down with one glance of your eyes.

How I love you, Zeke.

More mourning, more hoping

This morning, someone special ran into the arms of Jesus in great victory. I urge you to click here as I am remembering him today and thanking God for the work He's done through this great man. Like his daughter so wisely said, cancer lost. He is now fully healed and fully alive in the presence of Jesus and for that, we are joyful.

But if you can, pray for his family.

While you're at it, talk to the Lord about strengthening my family's heart as well- especially my mom. It was my dad's birthday yesterday and we all miss him a lot. She's also having to say goodbye to her mother who will finish her race any day now. We just said goodbye to her dad in September.

My older sister has lost her father-in-law, grandmother-in-law, and grandfather all within weeks of each other, and now we're having to say goodbye to Gran, too.

All that to say, it's just a lot of mourning.

The good news is that these are but momentary and light afflictions. We have great Hope. This is not the end of the story.

How could I possibly endure if this weren't the truth? Geesh...

Wherever you are, I urge you to put your trust and hope in Jesus Christ. He is good. He is faithful. He leads with great love. And I say this to you in the midst of great sorrow. He is real and He came to bind up our broken hearts and free us from our bondage to sin.

The thing is, one day, all of us will face death. I want to live well and be ready for that day.

Don't you?

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

How full is your tank today?

It turns out that you can do a lot of things for your children and yet miss out on giving them what they need the most: your time.

Anna Grace Chaney is my Exibit A. Lately, she's been losing her cool at the slightest glitch in life and for a while, it befuddled Jack and me. We were at a loss until, that is, we sat down to think about it. We then decided that she just needed a refueling of what my friend likes to call her "love tank."

All children are different and therefore their hearts respond differently in different situations, but I've learned that Anna Grace is a little more sensitive than your Average Joe. It really matters to her that we stop what we're doing and really listen to her and tune in to what's on her heart.

I'm happy to report that after a breakfast at Chick-fil-a with her daddy and some time alone with mom, the song returned to her heart. It took a lot of listening and a lot of talking, but she just needed to feel heard- and she really didn't have anything much to say.

But it brought the song back to her heart.

Last night as she took her shower, she had me sit in the bathroom and write the lyrics to the song she was creating. In case you can't read it, the highlights include "I sing this song with all my heart, I sing this song like birds in a tart," and, "My heart is great, my heart is good, it's good for beating, it's good for hood, and now this song is about to end, thank you Lord for my song."

I wish you could hear her sing it. She, of course, decorated it and hung it on a piece of cardboard in Zeke's room.

It was amazing. And it got me thinking about my own love tank- how I fill it or don't fill it and what the repercussions are in my life. How do I lash out when I haven't filled up- when I don't take the time out with my Heavenly Father to be heard, to be loved?

Turns out, it's important. It's a matter of the heart.

Maybe I should sign off to go fill 'er up...

They're goin to the chapel

I've gotten a lot of bad news lately, so I'm REALLY happy to have gotten THE call last night.

My sweet sister-in-law Kate and her boyfriend Patrick are getting married!!!!!!!

We huddled around Jack's phone last night as she gave us the news and we all shrieked with joy. Of course, Anna Grace asked if she could be the flower girl, prompting Zeke to ask if he could be Superman.

Of course. What's a wedding without a flowergirl and a Superman?

Congratulations, Kate and Patrick! May your life together be blessed!

If you came to my house today

You'd see that my geraniums are blooming... again.

Hello, second trimester!

I try not to be too concerned about how I look like I'm more like 25 weeks pregnant than 13, but this is my third baby and I only have 5 feet and one inch of height to work with so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the comments from the peanut gallery started today in full force. It was amazing.

However, I'm parading my pregnant pooch and I'm proud of it.

I can't wait to meet this baby.

And I think if it's a girl I might have to include Hope in her name in some way. I would have a hard time even starting to describe the myriad of ways that we're dealing with death right now. I just can't even begin to go into all of it, but like I told my sister tonight, if I didn't know Jesus, it would be pretty ugly right now. And depressing.

I need a little Hope.

Don't we all?

The intruder

Because you asked, Melissa....

I pulled up to the house on Friday morning only to find a furry creature sunning himself on the windowsill of my bedroom.

Great. I really had a busy day lined up and this little guy ruined my plans for a shower, among other things.

However, overall, I'm grateful for all this little rodent taught me.

So, because I know you want to know, here's the list:

1. Animal control and all other pest control services wash their hands of squirrels. I don't know why they discriminate, but they do. No help there.
2. You can get some really amusing although largely unhelpful advice when you solicit it on Facebook via a frantic status update (VexCon?, squirrel stew).
3. It's kind of fun to call your best friend and kind of screech about it. I mean, when your days kind of run together sometimes like mine do, a squirrel in your house can kind of ruin your day, but also add a little excitement.
4. I am completely and utterly inept at the business of pest control. I may like the "Brown Squirrel" song, but I don't ever want to get anywhere near them as they shake their bushy tails.
5. Never, and I mean never, underestimate what Jack Chaney can do with his hard hat, safety goggles, and a broom. If only I had a picture of that part of our Friday afternoon excitement...