Mamamax

Dichotomy

2011-07-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

When I was a child
it was easy to hold two seemingly contradictory truths in hand
and accept both

God is all powerful, created everything and is present everywhere and at all times
And
God loves me, cares about the smallest details of my life, and listens to my chatter

As I matured I realized how amazing God is-

His creativity spun off galaxies so astounding and planted sea creatures so deep
I'll never see them-

I was tempted to doubt His intimate involvement with me

But

I have known His touch
felt my tears dried
watched the miraculous happen
thrilled to His exquisite soul overwhelming

And so

The child in me still believes
In the God who loves to hear my chatter

Jars

2009-01-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

Canning jars filled with delicious fruits and jellies always fill my heart with joy. It must be a trait handed down from my grandmothers of many generations. The contentment of a full pantry; evidence of a bountiful harvest and provision for the winter ahead.

Well, I'm not a farmer and I hardly have time to put up even one batch these years, but last weekend we did something that gives me the same wonderful feeling that all is well. It is so silly! We gathered up all our gallon, wide-mouthed jars and starting filling them with the random things in our pantry. Cereal, nuts, marshmallows, raisens, candy, crackers. Once we got started we ran out of jars and had to go get more. Michael spearheaded this adventure and when the day was over he called me to admire his handiwork. WOW! Not only does it look orderly and give us oodles more space, but you can see what you have in a glance. All this for the whopping expenditure of $12. Why did we ever give up glass?

Move over Rubbermaid and Tupperware, glass rules!

New Year's Plans

2009-01-14T05:35:00.000-08:00

I am a planner! I suspect I have been one since day one. I like to know where I am going and how I am going to get there. It seems logical to me, in fact I have started work on a book about God's Plan for my life. The first part of writing has been to research what the Bible has to say about Plans. I went to my favorite verse:

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

How it blesses me to know that God has plans for my life. That even 'over-the-hill' I have a future in His eyes. More than that what I saw in this verse is that He Knows the plans. He doesn't say he is going to share them with me, or that I have to figure them out. But He knows. And that is more than enough.

Mother-goals

2008-06-10T14:34:00.001-07:00

This week Kassie and I were talking about goals vs task orientation. While I can be task oriented, I have been goal focused in my life, specifically during my mommie years. These goals, while they influenced the lives of my family, were really about what I wanted to accomplish. They are in random order just because I can't bear to rate them :)

Make sure my children knew God loves them.
See that they learn to turn to him even before me.
Be sure they know as early as possible the values I hold dear in case I am not around to teach them later.
Impose no artificial limitations.
Help them be responsible for themselves and for their own choices.
Teach them to love nature; to stop and smell the roses.
To be kind for no reason.
To value characture over accomplishment both in themselves and in others.
Be kind to themselves.
That they are wonderful!
That laughter cures a lot, even sickness.
That the difficult things they encounter are not handicaps; just something to overcome.
To strive to get better, not bitter.

My personal goals:
Live in such a way as to create happy wrinkles. (that is almost enough right there).
Make where I have been a better place because God went there with me and blessed it and those there.
Leave footprints even a child can follow.
Create wonder in others.
Simplify.

Of course there are more; some forgotten, some abandoned, but all shaped who I am.

Seal-A-Meal Threatens Sanity

2007-01-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

I used to think that Michael’s fascination with and over utilization of the document shredder was the ultimate in gadget fanaticism. No More! He now has a new ‘toy’ to play with and he is enjoying it to the fullest. Just for example, here are some of the latest lunacies:

Christmas Candy Mix. He decided to shrink the M&M’s, tootsie rolls, non-pariels, Jr. Mints and Jr. Mint Caramels together. Not so good. The Jr. Mints and caramels oozed out on everything. For someone who likes her flavors separate this was not a good solution.

Brownies: I asked him to freeze them for future use, thinking he’d freeze them in single serving. Nope, all 8 of them are squished together in shrink wrap. Maybe next year I’ll get desperate enough to open them.

Chopped Lettuce: This one was a winner – no browning

Five Pounds of flour: Another winner

Loaf of Christmas bread in refrigerator – in shrink wrap? Definitely discourages eating.

It’s really been a lot of fun watching him try it out on new stuff, but in the back of my mind is the fear that he will reduce something I really want –like a piece of chocolate cake - to paper thin proportions. I’m not that dedicated to my diet yet!

We have a running debate (surprised anyone?) as to what will happen to marshmallows. He thinks they will just puff back up – I think they will remain little disks of sugar, never to return to their original shape again.

So, what’s your vote, how do you think the marshmallows will perform? I’m sure we’ll conduct this experiment as soon as he finds out where I have hidden them.

Gotta love the man!

Morning Delight

2006-12-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday I was relaxing in the hot tub enjoying the quiet gray around me. The cloud covering seemed almost iridescent with the shining sun trying to melt it away. So high up as to seem ethereal was a triangle of birds. Geese, I thought as I listened for the familiar HONK!. The sound was not quite right, more of a bugle. I looked again at the gray birds flying overhead. Their necks were beautifully long, their wings slender and graceful. Swans. What a delight!

Seasons of Life According to Nana

2006-10-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

Spring – life begins and love blossoms and overnight is seems I’m married and pregnant and have a bevy of beautiful babies love and nurture.

Summer – the bevy turns into a herd (everybody and their friends at our place) and the frenetic pace of raising and enjoying every minute of their growing up is like the warmth of a pleasant summer sun interspersed at times with the spike of painful exposure like sunburn (their new ideas and tastes clashing with mine) until at last they enter their own spring and scatter like the falling leaves of approaching Autumn

Autumn – life settles into a lovely swirl of colors and reflections with moments of warming sunlight (the kids visit) followed by refreshingly cool evening (just the two of us again)

Winter –no longer fearful for here in the Northwest it is beautiful and restful, filled with days spent by the fireside, enjoying a good book and reflecting on the meaning of life (why did God choose to love me?) and the many blessings (family and the additions they have brought) swirling around our feet and in our memories.

Daughters

2006-09-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

How do I explain how I feel?
It is as if when I am with them I am better, stronger, more alive
We become one,
a many faceted diamond,
each face different,
each sparkle from a slightly altered view,
strong on our own; stronger yet together

Scott has called us the ‘Sister Mafia’
Perhaps he senses the strength when we unite

Certainly the volume rises, the laughter increases
and we drive anyone male completely insane with too much exposure

Heaven promises a crown
Personally, I think I have mine already
Four beautiful stones and two in the making

What more beauty could a mother want?

I will never be the same again

2006-09-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

I remember the time I met God
It is a treasured moment I hold
In the storehouse of precious memories

It lies gently in my heart
just above finding my soul-mate
and giving birth

What happened?
Are there really words adequate to express
that transforming moment?

Suddenly there was someone in my life

Like the wonder of true love
Came the love of God

Never to leave
Never to give up
Never to criticize

Perfect love in my imperfect life

And I will never be the same – alone - again.

Shine

2006-09-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

“Lord, let me shine,
shine like the moon
a reflection of you.”
from Shine, by Salvador

Like the moon, I have no light of my own.
I simply reflect the source of power, the Son
Until the world gets in the way.

Creative Joys

2006-07-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Canning. Such a homely activity. Seems antithema for me to enjoy it, but I do. In the last two weeks I have 'put up' (my grandmothers always said it that way) 46 jars of seed strained raspberry and marionberry jam. I love both of these, but hate dealing with the seeds, so after much experimentation, I have come up with a way to remove most of them without losing the texture of jam. Oh, they are good, right now especially over ice cream!

As I stirred and boiled and poured, I had plenty of time to think about why I was taking time to do this. I decided I truly enjoy the whole activity. My favorite part of canning is taking the jars out of the hot steam and hearing the lids suck down. Such a satisfying sound! Then I get to stack a whole cupboard full, stand back and enjoy my work. Like the Creator, thinking, This is Good.

I have two more projects awaiting the garden's produce: zucchini relish and dill pickles. I can't wait until we can harvest and get started.

Canning, summer, grandmothers - these live together in my happy memories and are part of the creative joys of my life.

It's Summertime

2006-07-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Ah the joys of summer! Yesterday we put up 18 jars of jam- raspberry and blackberry from our yard. Tonight I picked another 6 cups of blackberries and made berry crisp. To go with the BBQ chicken I harvested 3 potatoes, 1 zucchini and 2 small heads of broccoli which are steaming on the stove. Dad’s out BBQing by the pond. It is very tranquil out there. Three of the neighbor girls just stopped by to pick berries for their dinner. I love this place. Both the Bing and Rainier Cherries tasted really great (all 6 of them). I can’t wait until the tree produces enough to share. Wish you all could be here to enjoy the bounty. Takes me back the Summer of Courtship.

Slugging

2006-06-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

Ah the delights of spring and summer. Now that the vegetables and fruits are flowering and the roses beginning to bloom my morning routine has an added adventure: slug hunting. Early in the morning, while the dew is still wetting the ground, I pull on surgical gloves, grab a giant Ziploc bag and head outside in my red housecoat and slippers. No slimy offender escapes my thorough pursuit. I pluck them from bush and berry, from grass and leaf and pop them into the bag.
On average I collect about 2 pounds a trip. It is interesting that early in the season my haul consisted of many slugs of small to medium size. Now I get maybe a couple dozen big daddies ranging from nauseating orange to fascinating leopard skin. Does this mean I am making progress in my quest to eradicate slugs from my yard? Who knows?

It’s really a great way to start the day! Try it sometime; of course you have to live west of the Cascades to enjoy slugging.

For interesting facts and how to make a slug your pet check out http://velvetdragon.com/cyberslugs/realslugs.html

A Mansion

2006-04-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have a mansion in heaven
not because
I've done so well
but because
HE has!

Happy Easter

God's Grandeur

2006-04-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs -
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.-

Written by Gerard Manley Hopkins / Photographed by Philip McShane

Questions

2006-03-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I will never fit anywhere! I am too liberal for the Nazarene church. I believe in an emphasis on what God has done for me (Grace) over what I have done for God (Holiness). In the Baptist church I miss the denominational consistency that is not there in an association of churches. I keep wondering, "Who keeps them from going off the deep end with some misguided leader?" But then the denomination surely did not protect First Church, or for that matter, Monrovia.

Then I realize: most people just don’t think about all this stuff. I have to think about these things. I want a church whose beliefs I can support wholeheartedly. How can I possibly work sacrificially when I don’t agree with what the goals are? Where or where are the people like me who think about what they believe, who converse freely and unjudgementally and who can still love and support each other? Does this exist only in heaven or perhaps a few moments of our lifetime here?

All of these questions have me dealing with three fears – and yes I know God has not given us that spirit – but …

One – what kind of example am I when I have no current commitment to a church beyond financial support and worship on Sundays? That is just not who I thought I would be at this time of life. Of course to put anything else in to my life right now I’d have even less time for my children and grandchildren.

Two – How can I be honest about who I am and what I believe without hurting the people in my church? In no way do I want to be a detriment or to undermine. I’ve seen that and I don’t want any part of it.

Three – Will I find that one day because of discouragement and disillusionment I’ll just quit trying to find a place I fit?

Words to the wise – God has taken care of me thus far and he will see me home & I have his will for today. :)

But the questions don’t just go away.

Pondering

2006-03-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

The symbol , called "infinity", denotes an unbounded limit.

If you take the symbol of infinity and build a model of it in 3 dimensions, then put a toy train track on it the train will never have to stop. It is the picture of infinity - or eternity – no beginning or ending.

In Jewish thinking 8 is a special day. It is the day after creation – what comes after – it denotes the world after this or the coming of the Messiah to change this world.

Turn the symbol for infinity on it side and what do you get – an 8.

Our 3 dimensional thinking limits our ability to ‘see’ what God’s world is like because his ‘timeline’ includes time as a dimension which is flexible and acts on our 3 dimensions in a way we can barely get our minds to wrap around.

Just as in 2 dimensions ‘infinity’ is nothing more than an 8 on its side.

2006-03-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

For several months I have wanted to buy quail and set them free in our yard, so as part of my anniversary gift we bought 25 newly hatched bobwhite quail. I’ve missed seeing quail, and with a pond and half an acre of our lot untamed it seemed like a good place to try and experiment. As my kids will attest, I love doing experiments. They were my first (and best), but now I am reduced to messing with the minds of animals, birds and plants. I’m trying to come up with a way to convince these wild animals not to be afraid of me and train my dog to protect, not pounce on them, once I set them free. I am definitely a better bet for their continued survival than the rottweilers next door or the cats that roam the yard. They, of course, scatter and hide whenever I come near their cage and today I caught Mitzie pouncing on the screen that covers their box. I’m still working on my approach to these issues.

When we first brought them home one could have fit in a ¼ cup with room to spare. Not even two weeks of growth and they are 4 times that size. They have an amazing capacity to eat and the quantity of what they excrete is unbelievable. Michael says I have my own guano factory going in the kitchen.

They are really adorable and incredibly strong. It’s getting tough to hold them – they just push and jump out of my hand. They also can spring straight up about 4 times their height. My favorite trait is the chirping, cooing sound they make. All 24 (we lost one in the mosh pit) together sound like wind in the trees or water on the pond. Of course when they are wet or hungry or hurt the chirping turns to cheeping of an intensity no mother can ignore! I’ve been caught checking up on them in the wee hours of the night.

Soon I will have to let them go. I’m working on ways to bribe them to return, like free food, shelter and heat. I’m not sure what that looks like, yet. I have discovered from friends that there are other people who do this just for the fun of seeing them in the yard. I’m considering adding ring-neck pheasant for next spring. Slowly I’m working up to CHICKENS! And maybe when I retire, mohair goats.

Pond Ice

2006-02-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Adventures on the pond this weekend included the following:

Michael repeatedly trying to see if the ice would hold his weight

Jon T walking across – yep it cracked a little

Me crawling to the middle to trim the dead papyrus bush down to ice-level. Looking down through 3 inches of ice to see the fish and clear water under is a weird experience.

Kaya, Nana, and Colton throwing and rolling rocks on to the ice. Now I understand the attraction of curling (SP? The Olympic sport). It’s fun to see how far you can push a rock and make it stop where you want it to.

Colton trying his weight out on the pond. Unfortunately he stepped where the ice was thin, near the waterfall and fell in. Poor frozen child. He warmed up quickly in the bath.

What a fun day. Did you know that when you throw a rock and it only cracks the ice, the cracks show up as shadow circles that cause rainbows in the ice?

Winter is a time for discovery here in the Northwest.

It's not about me

2006-01-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

It’s not about me

Salvation
Saving grace
Healing
Helping
Loving
Lifting

All these gifts and more! God gives me are not about me

He takes on my pain and sin and sorrow and changes me

or my circumstances

This transformation becomes a mirror

A momentary glimpse

Of who He is

By what He does

...

It is about Him

But oh how it blesses me!

Delighting

2006-01-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

I’ve been trying to understand how God views me. I believe that He loves me and that he is delighted with who He made me to be. I am His cherished child. Just the way I am. That doesn’t mean He accepts my sin. He provides covering for that. Without His grace I would never be acceptable. But because of it, I am.

So, then, what motivation drives me to refine and improve? Nothing I can ever do will make me perfect or acceptable in His eyes. That is a function of justification. Why do I try so hard to live up to what I think He expects of me?

For a long time I think I was trying to please Him, like a child who can never live up to an unreasonable parent’s expectations. I was trying to accomplish by my behavior what Christ did for me on the cross. I can’t make myself perfect; He did that.

I’m beginning to see that the motivation of my life can be as simple as living to make Him smile. He delights in me. He delights in my delight. It’s like watching Scott make Colton laugh, and Colton’s laugh making Scott laugh and so on and on to hysterical joy: a delighting chain reaction. When I look around at all the gifts He has given, what a blessing for us (Him and me) to delight in them together.

The more I delight in Him and He in me the more I will reflect Him in my life. That is the byproduct, not the goal of life lived to make Him smile.

Grace and Love

2005-11-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

John 14:15” If you love me, you will keep my commandments”

Remember those pictures that if you looked one way you saw an old crone, but another way you saw a beautiful woman? What you saw depended on which prominent feature your eyes first picked out. It was amazing when someone else showed you how to see the other image.

Reading St. Augustine’s words on John 14:15 was that kind of experience for me. I never saw the grace in this verse, only the guilt. Reacting to these words of Christ as if they are just another commandment to keep is natural. Our parents, teachers, pastors, and society all tell us that if we are ‘good people’ we will keep the rules. This verse sounds just the same.

But what if you look at that verse like someone in love? When you are in love and when you love someone it just oozes out of you. Giving, caring, loving, helping, thinking about them, trying to make their life easier, pleasant, joyful; these things flow out of a heart of love. When someone is precious to you the natural response is a desire to do what they request.

If this verse means, as Augustine believed, that the more we fall in love with Christ the easier doing his will becomes, then Christ was not giving us yet another commandment to keep; he was showing us how to live. He says; focus on me, not on yourself (your actions, behavior, good deeds or lack thereof). He invites us to enjoy him, love him, and immerse our very being in him. When he is the focus of our lives “his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3

The old question, “When your teacup gets bumped, what sloshes out?” is no longer about how good I am, but how loving him has infused my being.

Focus on him, love him, enjoy him, and delight in his gifts; being who he wants you to be will come naturally.

Can it really be that wonderfully simple?

Inspired by the Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper.

Trip down ER lane

2005-11-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

Since my trip to the ER I have been in a quandary as to what to write. This is only my second emergency trip in 55 years. That’s pretty good! But it also makes such a trip rather salient in the memory. How did I act, what did I say, what did this really mean, what should I be learning from this experience - all swirl around in my head with oh my gosh what if it happens again!

Several things stand out in my mind:

The comfort of family gathered around. What a blessing to see and feel the evidence of known love and sensed prayers. Thanks to all of you who eased that day.

The Fear Factor. Nothing compares to the imminent realization of mortality and the pain that accompanies it. Nothing. This week the still small voice said, “But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” I forget so easily His way and rejoice that He gently reminds me … this is not of Me.

The intense desire to be reading something that is soul filling. John Piper’s Legacy of Sovereign Joy is my current passion. It focuses my mind off myself: always a good idea.

An attitude of kindness towards myself. So I take long baths and ignore the kitchen, I eat chocolate and ignore the scale. I say no more, and don’t always finish all my tasks at work immediately. Reverse discipline is sometimes harder! But it is helping. I might just continue this kindness and extend it more to those around me.

So, if you need a little kindness, give yourself a break. Bring your suit, come on over and we'll share some cookie dough in the hot tub.

Changes

2005-11-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

I love the time change in the fall! As the thermometer drops and the sunlight diminishes the challenge of getting up on time overwhelms me. I find that I struggle to get to work on time. Any chance for a quiet time in the morning or a relaxing drive to work flies out the window as I race to arrive before my boss. Then – presto chango – I’m waking up early. I have time for a long shower and a lingering look at the Word. My world feels like it’s been put right again by an invisible hand.

I wish all habits were as easy to change. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone would just change the clock and one day I’d wake up fixed? No such luck. Life is not that easy. It’s about growing and changing and fighting the good fight.

Maybe heaven will be like waking up and all the clocks that control who I am, what I think and what I do will finally be set right.

Papa puts them to sleep

2005-10-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

Papa has a new reputation – he is the master at putting both Colton and Sheri to sleep at our house. When they get wired and tired and fussy he wraps them up and rocks them until they stop squirming and give up. Ever-so-gently he tiptoes down the hallway and places the precious sleeping bundle in the playpen, tucking the covers carefully about them and giving them one last pat before he gently closes the door. He emerges with an I did it again smile.

And you know what? Since he started doing this they started saying his name. It’s no longer “Nana’s” house, but Nana and Papa (or Pop-pop). I have wondered why these precious little ones love us. Watching them with him I realized that the love begins in the feeling of care and safety. They love and trust him because he comforts them when they can’t do it themselves.

I love being married to this man, and I treasure the grandfather he has become.

Warriors

2005-10-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

I always knew NFL players were BIG but I didn’t really know how big until Pat and I tried to squeeze ourselves into an elevator with four San Diego Chargers this weekend. To all you fans who would have known who they were, I extend my humble apologies. I don’t know. Besides they were in suits and ties without helmets. Quite a different look from the warriors padded, taped and made up for the fight on the field.

Funny thing is, I had just gotten off the shuttle with another warrior. An apologist raised in South Central LA by a mother who was a devout Buddhist. He could have passed for one of the linebackers: right color, right size and a voice like thunder. But he was trained in a different type of warfare. He could face down any challenger who dared dispute the credibility of the Bible and leave them trembling. For those of us who were privileged to hear him, Voddie Bachman left us cheering and knowing we are the champions after all.

As I checked out of the hotel, on my way home to my own arena, I realized that while it had been exciting to rub shoulders with those who have attained honor in their sport, it was even more exhilarating to immerse my spirit in the teaching of giants who will live forever.

The Week From...

2005-09-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

It began as the week from Hell. I broke a tooth on Saturday and couldn’t get in to see the dentist until Thursday morning. By Monday I was in a state of fear, being attacked by the minions of Satan. Added to that, I had scheduled an MRI on my foot for Wednesday night and Thursday night my semi annual boob squashing experience. (Otherwise known as the mammogram.)

Compared to the fear and anxiety I experience over the tooth, the radiology experiences were nothing, really! In fact the MRI helped prepare me for the dentist. Twenty-five minutes in a room, all alone, partially engulfed by a machine which is alternately sounding like a machine gun and a fire alarm made me reach out for something on which to fix my mind. I tried praying for my family and friends, but the real comfort came when I remembered that twenty years ago I had memorized Psalm 103. How much could I recall? Trying to dredge up those marvelous phrases lifted my spirit beyond the brain-numbing noise and encouraged my soul. The final session ended with me humming a praise chorus – to the beat and key of the alarm, of course.

I left there resolved to write out the whole Psalm the morning before the dental attack. Immersed in those words of praise and wonder I approached the dentist and survived the worst, emerging praising God for his marvelous power and amazing love. Only He can do that!

Someone once challenged me not to waste the pain in my life. This experience was one in which God redeemed pain and fear and used it to draw me closer to Him.

What began as a fearful journey through Hell’s dark assaults ended in the triumph of heaven and light. It became the week from Heaven.

What's in a Name

2005-09-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

A rose by any other name…

When my first grandbaby was born I thought long about what to call myself. The options were Grandma or Nana. I had both a Grandma and a Nana and both were precious to me in their own ways, but I felt more like a Nana. I wondered if my grandchildren would be confused. Would they think I was a fruit? Would they understand that this grandmother was really called ‘Nana’? Would it help distinguish between the 2 grandmothers and 4 great grandmothers?

I decided to go with Nana because Nana was easy to say.

I am so glad I did!

Sheri, Colton, and Kayla all love to say my name. I think they drive their parents crazy with the Nana Song. They love to dance around singing Nana, Nana, Nana when they see me.

What’s in a name? In this name is a whole lot of fun and I just love it.

The Sixth Decade

2005-09-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Now, finally, after all these years there is a glimmer of a treasure
Much sought after
Wisdom

Wisdom is not like intelligence
Nor is it about learning
It is acquired by living

Once in awhile these days
I see something through its lens

But mostly what I see is
I really don’t know that much
About life, or love or God
These are so complex
And so simple
They cannot be grasped
With the mind

Unless, perhaps
By the mind of a child

Maybe this is why the grandchildren and I enjoy each other so much

What are Memories Made of?

2005-08-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Sugar and Spice and everything nice….

Not at first.

Sitting around the campfire reminiscing with my now-grown children about the good camping trips we enjoyed with their grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins made me grateful.

Grateful that when we had had enough sibling squabbling (both generations), dirt, whining kids and whacked out schedules that we persevered!

Grateful that as the years and trips increased the tribulations associated with them decreased.

Grateful that now those years are behind me and the opportunities unrecapturable, we did grab the time while we had it and made the most of it, in spite of it all.

Grateful, that while I am aware there were times it was hard, the details of why are mostly erased and the pleasant glow of good times stored in my treasure box of memories lights my mind with contented thoughts.

So, if you are tempted to think making memories is too much work, think again… the rewards well outweigh the passing inconveniences.

Mamamax

2005-08-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hi! Thought I'd try something new! So here's the question I am working on today:

Who is the Holy Spirit and how do we describe him to people without a knowledge of him?

So far I have come up with this:
The Holy spirit is the element necessary to take us from head knowledge to heart experience of who God is what He wants from us. Natural reasoning, undertanding and intellect can only take us so far; the wisdom to know God is a gift that comes through the Holy Spirit.