Brave - and I'm not talking about the movie!

I was devastated to hear the news of the Movie Theatre massacre in Aurora Colorado last week.  I had to think that this was the complete opposite of an encounter I had with strangers at a movie theatre earlier in the week.  

I took Hannah and a friend to see “Brave”.  The movie was great but the conversation I had with twin boys prior to the show was over the top! 

We went to a small hometown theatre where the movies are cheap, the popcorn is great, the chairs are broken and the floor is sticky!!  But we enjoy going there anyway. 

The room we were in had about 30-40 seats in it only.  The three of us where the only three there until a woman walked in with two darling twin boys who appeared to be preschool age. 

They were of Mexican descent with big brown expressive eyes and their hair slicked over to one side.  One carried a big bag of popcorn and they both chattered non-stop to the “grandmother” that was with them.  As grandma assessed the situation she decided that two active boys plus one large soda equals one accident waiting to happen.  So, she told the boys to sit tight while she ran to the concession stand to get another cup so they could each have a cup to use.  (Again this is a very small place and the concession stand is just outside the door). 

Recognizing her dilemma I offered to go get the cup for her.  Thinking they may charge her for it she thought she should go.  “They’ll be fine – it’s just right outside the door,” she said. 

Before I could even turn around one of the little boys piped up and said – “Hi, I’m Anthony” to which his brother added – “And I’m Daniel”.  Seeing they were now occupied grandma quickly exited to get the cup. 

My conversation with these two live wires went as follows: 

Anthony: ….and we have a little baby brother named Jonathon.

Daniel:  ….but he was just a baby in my mommy’s tummy and now he is borned and he is too little to come to the movie with us.

Me:  Oh – so you are big brothers?  You are brothers aren’t you?

Anthony: - Yes

Daniel:  We are twins!

Me:  How old are you boys:

Anthony: 5. Welll, we were 4 but then we went to Mexico then we were 5.

Me:  Oh, so will you go to Kindergarten this year?

Anthony:  No we don’t go to school but we aren’t babies anymore.

Daniel: We were babies in our mommy’s tummy but that’s just how God made us…. Do you know God?

Me:  (quite shocked by this little man’s innocence and boldness all rolled into one) Why yes I do, very well – He is my savior?

Anthony:  Well, do you know his book?

Me:  Oh yes, I do and I read it a lot

Daniel:  My momma has His book and she reads it a lot too. 

By this time Grandma was back and they were sidetracked by the snacks being presented and the start of the previews. 

I, however, sat glaring at the previews on the screen but feeling blessed to have just been witnessed to by a couple of 5 year olds. 

There were “God markings” all over this little episode, but two things impressed me the most: 

1.  Talking about God to a total stranger was just as natural as breathing for these little boys.  What if I hadn’t been a Christian, hadn’t known God?  Would I have been positively impacted by such a convicting question presented by such an adorable messenger? These little fellas had no reservations, were not inhibited in any way, didn’t care where they were and weren’t afraid of offending anyone. If only I spoke the name of Jesus/God as carefree as these innocent little boys do?  What a lesson to me about testifying no matter where you are or who you are with.

2.  The example of being in God’s word that this mother has set for these boys.  As glad as she must have been to have a little reprieve from these two little chatterboxes and have some alone time with her newborn, I’m sure her heart would have swelled to bursting if she could have heard their witness to a total stranger that day.  She definitely has set an example of Godly character for these young boys.  Obviously, they have noticed that momma reads the Word.  Obviously, they have taken note that God is number one in their home.  Children are mimickers of what they see and hear – obviously, they see and hear a lot about God in their home.  Have I set this example for my children?  Are they impacted by what they see and hear in our home?  I have not met this mother but she has impacted me greatly with her Godly character reflected from the mouths of her tiny sons.

 Ironically I went to see the movie Brave - but these two little cherubs really taught me how to be "Brave" for Jesus!

I went to see a movie and came out of there being moved! What a blessing!

A change is gonna come

This Sam Cooke song from the 60’s came to mind today as I was reflecting on all the things that are about to take place in my life in the next few short weeks.

What kind of change is gonna come?

……I will pack up everything but the memories of our house of 12 years and leave it for a  young couple to begin their own memories in.

…..I will move into a temporary spot…for an undetermined amount of time.

….I will say good-bye to Zac one more time when he goes back to college – wait?  Didn’t I just say hello to him.

….I will send Nic off to Phoenix…but this time he will drive (just sedate me til he calls and says he’s there safely, okay?).  His senior year….will he come back or will he stay there???

   

….My daughter will go to a different school.  Same friends, same school system, just a different building for 5^th and 6^th graders (5^th grade??? Really?  Talk about change that’s about to come. Geesh!).

....Joel will go back to teaching which means sleeping past 5:30 every morning will end (very sad about this one - but I do like me some Sparky time)

But…

               Change is good

It broadens our horizons…

               Teaches us new things

                        Keeps us from becoming dormant

                              Energizes us

                                    Gives us something to look forward to

                                             Helps us set and achieve goals

               Change is good……and yet, in order to endure the changes of life you must have consistency in some areas. We depend on the “constants” to make the changes bearable, keep us grounded and not lose sight of our goals.

The love of family

      The encouragement of friends

               Contentment in spirit

                     

And……

               Most importantly.

Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday,     
           today
                   and 
                         Forever!!
                               (Hebrews 13:8)

I'm so thankful for my Mainstay!

He never changes

And that is good! Amen!

                        

Are we there yet?

ARE WE THERE YET???

It’s been a very hectic week and not one day of it that I didn’t cry over something! 

                     Seriously? 

                             Yes, I have cried over something everyday this week. 

This is how I respond when I’m overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed – I cry!  Hey….it works for little kids –so I’m thinking it will work for me as well.  (Side note….temper tantrums is also a tip I got from little kids…and that has been effective for me as well this week.  I, of course, do the “mature” temper tantrum. I don’t go for that childish kicking and screaming business….I go straight to the dish throwing and pot and pan clanging.  One just feels so much better when they can break a few plates!)

The constant unknown of not knowing where we are going to live swirls around in my brain constantly and puts an ever grinding pit in my stomach always.  This coupled with the fact that...

1. I spent the first two days of the week working a moving sale and making coolers of lemonade
2.  the rest of the week working during the day and attending dance rehearsal/recitals from Tuesday to Saturday every single night.  HOW MUCH DANCE CAN ONE MOM TAKE ANYWAY!? 
3.  And…well….my family…God love ‘em! Let’s just say…..they just don’t keep house the way I do!  This is where the temper tantrum part comes into play!
4.  Mix in a little 40 somethingish hormones….shake briskly (do not stir) and you have yourself one lethal mama combo! 

It’s so bad that while kicking a broom out of my way in the laundry room earlier I pondered whether or not if it might lift off if I were to straddle it!

Knowing how deep down in the pit of despair I was, my husband (again…God love him), tried to give me a bit of encouragement by emailing me his “verse of the day” which was: 

                                     John 14:18 

     I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

 Very sweet of him to think for one measly second I’d believe this and find some kind of hope in it.  My retort reply to him was this:  “Although this is a very hope-filled verse I also know that he left a group of very nice people to wonder in the desert for 40 years!

 See just how crabby I am???  Sorry God!  You’ve got much work to do in me yet!!!

On Wednesday, I dragged my tired and grumpy rear to the office knowing that a stinkin’, happy, cheerful little newsletter was on the agenda.  UGH!  I was not in the mood for this so I began to thumb through some of my stinkin’, happy, cheerful literature in hopes of finding some kind of hopeful little tidbit that might cheer some poor sap up!

I did – and that poor sap was me! 

Here’s what I found: (from the Newsletter, Newsletter – written by K. Myers)

Are we there yet? This age-old refrain of young travelers is followed by a second question: “How much longer?” How similar those queries are to the psalmist’s oft-repeated cry, “How long, O Lord, how long? (Psalm 6:3b, NIV).  Patience is an uncommon virtue these days.  We’re anxious to get where we’re going or to get what we want.  But think how much we miss while wishing we were elsewhere!  In our rush to reach a destination, we fail to grasp lessons that can be learned only along the way.  What blessings might you be overlooking in the here-and-now and the right-where-you-are?     

Hmmm…if this doesn’t bring your broomstick to a crashing halt I don’t know what will!

 

I’ve spent a good deal of this crazy chaotic week mad, upset, overwhelmed and especially ticked off at those that I love the most (if you loved ones are reading this – it still does not mean that I excuse your trashy, unkempt ways and your inability to be able to see what needs to be done and do it…just sayin’) and totally blinded to anything that closely resembled a blessing in my week.

Sooooo here it is…..My official overlooked blessing list

·       A house that sold quickly – helping us meet our goal to get out of debt – a real blessing that sometimes feels like a curse to me right now.

·       The anticipation of what God has in store for us…where will he take us?  Where will we live???  What path is he taking us…it can be exciting and not something I dread! (it's also teaching me much about Waiting on Him!)

·       Sons who are strong and healthy and willing to help their mama set up for a moving sale!  Love you boys! (again….messiness still not acceptable! J)

·       A husband who cares enough to approach with caution with an encouraging word – so brave that guy!

·       A beautiful daughter who has danced her little heart out in spite of feeling really crummy all week.  Her grace and maturity have shined this week and I am thankful!

·       New friends I have met through dance and spending these last few evenings with them.

·       Good health – can’t imagine this chaos if I were ill.

My list goes on and on – I’ve been compiling it in my head as I go along. I promise!

Am I there yet?  Nope – but I’m going to work at the blessing pit stops along the way!

                                            

Heroes...I got a plenty!

No I don't pretend to know you
But I bet it's safe to say
There's someone out there somewhere looking
up to you today
And they see everything you do
Except for your mistakes
You may not think you measure up
but you got all it takes

No one gives them medals
The world don't know their names
But in someone's eyes
They're heroes just the same
Yea , in someone's eyes
They're heroes just the same
Talking bout heroes....
Special kind of heroes.....
No ordinary heroes.

Today I'm pretty focused on the Heroes in my life - and thanking God for them!  The chorus of this Paul Overstreet song up above comes to mind.

It only seems fitting since my #1 Hero, my sister-in-law Jennifer, is currently undergoing a mastectomy as I write this. 

Mr. Webster defines Hero as a person with distinquished courage or abilty.

As a child I would have described a Hero as someone with supernatural abilities - that saved the day every time! They were someone that everyone knew and could count on.

Today I have to agree more with the "courage" part of that definition and with Paul Overstreets lyric that no one gives them medals - The world don't know their names.

The world doesn't know the names  of my heroes, but I do, and they are true Heroes to me!

• Jennifer Steiner, Kim Christner, Deb Beechey, Kristi Drablos, Lynette Ray (and many other awesome women in my life) - all of these dear friends have gained Heroe Status for their courage in facing Breast cancer head on, never giving up and enduring whatever was necessary to be cancer free!

• My niece Gretchen who is Type 1 diabetic and pregnant with baby #2.  She takes such good care of herself when pregnant.  And, what are the results for this? A beautiful little boy named Levi. (hmmmm, maybe result #2 will be a little girl named "Kimberly" - just sayin'!) That kind of dedication to mommyhood gets high Hero Status in my books! 

• For my son Zac, who plays hard and complains little even when it hurts. He hasn't let pain of a benign tumor in his leg keep him from his dream of playing baseball.

• Sam Grewe - who I don't know personally - but who can't help but not know who he is around these parts - these days!  Sam just underwent rotaionplasty (I think that's what it is called).  Because of cancer  his leg was amputated below the knee and his foot reattached to form a better way of using a prothesis. He is 12, he loves sports and guess what....this isn't going to stop him!

• Ben and Carmen Bailey who just lost everything to a house fire and are thankful to be alive and looking to the future with a positive attitude.

My list could go on and on.  Unlike the Cowardly Lion these folks found the courage without the trip to OZ to face incredible fear.  I can't fathom the amount of courage some people face every day.  Like the Cowardly Lion says..."They got something I ain't got"  - Courage- !

If faced with a situation in which I need to find some courage it is my prayer that I can remember David's advice in Psalm 121: 1&2

"I lift up my eyes to the hills...where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Thank you Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth,  for the strength you have given these Heroes in my life!

Something to count on!

Oh Vacation - How I love thee!

Where for art thou Vacation?

Where didst thy jacuzzi tub go?

From whence didst thouest goest o lovely sunshine?

I like to refer to the above piece as "Ode to Vacation"!  Pretty good, eh?  Well not really, but having taken a long awaited vacation over the last week my mind is pretty much mush and my poetry is lacking...yeah that's it...let's blame my poetic patheticness on vacation!

Instead of boring you with all the details I will just give you the highlights!

Highlight #1 - First day of trip Hubs got food poisoning and spent the better part of two days worshiping the porcelain god (or in this case a pink dishpan).  Sorry I don't have a slideshow of this for you!

Highlight #2 - Seeing the Nickster!  We got to see our son Nic in his element - serving as Student  manager/student assistant to the baseball team at Grand Canyon University.  We also got the honor of seeing the "outside" of his dorm only (inside is condemned I think :), meeting his roommates and other new friends.

Highlight #3 - Friends - We saw lots of friends and usually ate really good food with them.  Well, I did anyway - Joel spent the rest of the week turning his nose up at anything edible that went in front of him.  But Never Fear - I went ahead and ate that for him!

We saw many friends but only the Ropps are getting blog billing - for many reasons - but mainly because they're the cutest!

 Highlight #4 -Eventhough we decided to travel north to Sedona and the Grand Canyon with a weak husband, a sick son, sat still in a two hour traffic jam, took a wrong turn taking us another hour out of the way, and battling a short snow storm on the way back down - I'd say that our trip to see the grandeur and majesty of the Sedona Red Rock Mountains and the Grand Canyon was a big highlight for all of us. (it should actually be #1 but I have to give the puking husband props!) If you are able to look at these Marvels without your mouth hanging open and saying things like - Wow, Amazing, or using beautiful and awesome in every other sentence then you must be either blind or from another planet!  If you have never seen these beauties allow me to enlighten you....sit back and enjoy these pics and see how many times you use any of the words listed above!!

Beautiful, Awesome Exquisite!  - Hey, and the mountains are beautiful too!! ha ha 

Okay, now for the real stuff...

 Sedona Mountains - Seriously one of the most beautiful places in the world!

The Grand Canyon - Seriously one of the most amazing sights in the world

 I was looking over the pictures today and dreaming and wishing I was still there since it's all of 38 degrees here today and gray!  As I was dreaming, I thought about how amazingly beautiful these Sedona Mountains are and how they rise up into the sky and everyone there, people from all nations and walks of life, were drawn to them and their majesty.  It reminded me of this verse in Isaiah 2:2

In the last days the mountian of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains, it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it!

In my shallow mind, my sheltered world, these Red Vortexes in the sky are the most beautiful thing I can imagine - but, Oh, what a day that will be when the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established and Believers from every nation will meet there!  I can't even fathom what that will be like!

Since we are broke now and another vacation isn't on the horizon anytime soon, perhaps I shall just look forward to the rising up of the mountain of the Lord's temple - for this - I can count on! 

Oh the things you'll see, Oh the things you do...

Recently I was thinking a lot about the "rounding" homework Hannah brought home at the beginning of the year.  On Friday, February 3, I was thinking about how the nearest ten I'm rounding up to is 50 (I turned 47).  WHAT????  How in the *&#$%@# (insert your own expletive here) did this happen?  I can't believe it.

My 47 years on earth have gone quickly!  I've been having a good time and you know what they say, "Time flies when you're having fun!".  I've had some wonderful life experiences! 

As I look back on my 47 years I stand in complete and total Awe of how good God is to me. What blessings he has lavished on me!  Some of the things I've done in my life I still stand with my mouth hanging open shocked that I even did them...like, for example...

   

Giving Birth to two boys!!





Adopting a daughter



Being a Restaurant, Bed & Breakfast and Bakery owner

       

             Being a Mennonite (Never heard of those until I married one....btw...only pic I could find of a bunch of Mennonites - yes really, this is how they look!!!)

 But the one thing this old Hillbilly is the most amazed by is that the husband God picked out for me lives in an Amish tourist town!! I still, to this day, after having lived here for almost 24 years, will stop my car to watch a 4 team hitch of horses plow or plant a field.  Probably, more than being 47 years old, the fact that I have spent almost half of it living in and raising my family in Amish country is still the most amazing to me.  I mean, who ever heard of a city girl raised by a couple of Hillbillies from the KY hills moving to an Amish Community and taking root there - and "liking" it!???  Must be that the guy she married is some kind of Stud!!!  Or...she's just totally nuts!  Take your best guess!

I don't know if I'm more amazed that people still actually live this way or that I've lived amongst them for all these years. 
Here are some things about living in Amish country that still amaze me after living here 24 years!

1. Dodging road apples - how many people in America can say that they have to drive around horse poo every time they go somewhere. There's more than just "rubber" that meets the road around here!
2. When the Amish neighbor kids stand in line in my kitchen to get a drink of ice water out of the automatic icemaker in the fridge door.  They marvel at this just like my kid would marvel at a Disney world ride!
3. Brigthly colored wash hanging out on the line on a 20 degree day!  Wow - talk about being a "stiffed" shirt - ah ha ha
4. pony carts with one tiny pony carting 6-8 rosy cheeked children with their head scarves blowing in the breeze
5. speaking of head scarves......and stocking caps! Everybodies got one and it could be 310 degrees outside and they will still be wearing those darn stocking caps!  SWEAT!
6. Watching a house or barn go up in just a matter of days!  It's like a LEGO set to them! 
7. Those tiny little bonnets with the flowing strings and straw hats they put on the little ones - sooo cute!
8. The Sundays when the neighbors have church at their house and watching all the families walk down the street in their Church clothes and the buggies lined up and moving slow into their drive way.
9. Going past a home on a Summer Sunday that had church and seeing all the little boys dressed exactly alike in their white shirts, black suspenders, bare feet and bowl haircuts playing in the yard while all the men folk who are also dressed just alike sit under the shade of a tall old shade tree and visit. (Dressed just like the little boys minus the suspenders)
10. Taking a walk on a summer day and listening to a little Amish girl singing while she swings!  Love that!
11. Spring time when the pastures are full of little spindly legged draft horses that look so awkward and cute standing so close to their big stately mamas.
12. Reprimanding my kids because they are saying naughty words in dutch taught to them by their Amish friends. Yeah, that would be Zac in case you're wondering!
13. The stark diversity of looking across the gymnasium at a high school basketball game and seeing a cheerleader in her short skirt, bouncy hair and makeup and sitting just a few rows up from her are a sea of girls who are the total opposite of her, dressed in bonnets, dresses, hair pulled back tightly and no make up!  And there is respect for both by both for the most part! That one blows me away every time.  Still!







If someone had told me 30 years ago I'd be married to Joel Mishler, a restaurateur turned coach and baseball freak (lol), live in an amish town where the neighbor kids would be fascinated with my ice maker in the fridge door and take my daughter on pony cart rides - I would have laughed them out of the park!  But here I am....and it's great...

  ..............And I'm still laughing!

Thank you God for all these lovely surprises along the way!



A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!

A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!
.....That was my dad's way of telling us girls he loved us.  "Honey, your ol' dad loves ya a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!"  I don't know why I was thinking of that today.  Probably because it's that time of year again.  I always find myself thinking of my dad at this time of the year.

It was 10 years ago on Tuesday (January 31, 2002) that Janie and I sat by his bedside waiting and dreading that last breath.  What a horrible day that still crops up in my nightmares.  Having been broadsided by a semi truck, on his way to his bowling league the day before, dad had succumbed to his injuries.

I'm so thankful for my dad and I love days like this when he crops up in my thoughts and I think about some of the things he taught me or the way he made me laugh. I think about him when I see a Jefferson's rerun - I can still hear him laughing at George and Weezy!  For a long time my ring tone on my phone was the Pink Panther theme - because it reminded me of those Saturday mornings curled up with him on the couch watching Pink sleuth his way out of  trouble. 

A Korean War veteran my dad was intensely patriotic.  The most beautiful picture in the world to him was the grand ol' flag blowig in the breeze - "Isn't she a thing of beauty babe?", he'd say when we'd see one.

There are many things I miss about my dad.  There are many ways I am like him, and many ways I am not.  Dad and I didn't always see eye to eye on many things and I was enough like him to argue the fact!  And boy, did we argue! We differed in politics, religious views and many other things!  But, we had great respect for each other and still came out with the "hug around the neck" when the arguing was done. 

He loved nature and was eager to teach us all about.  A farm boy raising his kids in the city he made sure to teach us about country life and farm values every chance he could.  I've tasted sassafras plucked straight up from the dirt on a nature walk, marveled at baby 'possums who had lost their mother, taught how to feed apples to a horse out of the palm of my hand, buried family pets, and nurtured several litters of puppies and kitties in our garage!

He was an incredible creature of habit - I think he learned this in the military.  He used selsun blue shampoo, ivory soap (bar form), stick butter and took the old fashioned big gaggy non coated tylenol, drank out of the same coffee cup that he found in the attic of a house he lived in when Janie was little and kept a tupperware glass of water in the fridge all the times!  Always.....he never swayed from these things - they were constants...Oh yes, and of course, he ate chicken noodle soup everyday for lunch (on the days he was home) with a good dusting of black pepper on top out of the same gosh darn bowl for the last 10 years of his life!! And, I might add made disgusting slurping noises while eating it!! 

He didn't buy anything that wasn't american made and cursed those that did (glad he doesn't know about our Toyota :)). He wore blue jeans (that he called overall pants) and button down shirts everyday.  He loved to laugh and was a great story teller!  He was equally as bad a driver. 

Dad's bad driving + winding mountainous Eastern KY roads + reminiscing about "back in the day" = Near death, be near me Lord Jesus moments! 

 I can't tell you how many close calls we had on those curves when dad started to reminisce.  After hearing the same stories over and over every time we went to visit Granny I finally let him know that we had heard these stories before. Because, after all, I'm a lot like him and he probably would have told me the same.  But not my tender hearted sister...she would let him reminisce and reminisce to our death down some rocky cliff. And of course, she always acted like it was the first time she had heard the story!  This is probably why he loved her more!! (ha ha, just kidding but then,every one knows I was the baby, therefore cute, cuddly and irresistably adorable - couldn't help it! - love ya sis!!)

He loved children.  I think if mom had been agreeable he would have had 12 kids - he often lamented that he didn't have more.  The problem with this is that he'd just about let a kid get by with anything.  I remember looking outside when Nic was just toddling and he was carrying a glass bottle on the pavement!  Yikes!  "Dad, why are you letting him carry that glass bottle on the driveway?" I shouted.  "Aww babe, let the kid have some fun - he won't get hurt...I'm watching him"!  Wow, that made me feel better!  NOT! I didn't like Kindergarten.  My mom taught school and it was dad's job to take me to the private Kindergarten at the Christian church everyday since he worked night shift.  Almost every day I cried and dad would just take me back home, and on the way home  he would say "Don't say anything to your mother about this".  (Hey, I didn't say he was a perfect dad or spouse, just a sucker, mostly) It wasn't until the teacher confronted my mom in the grocery store about my many absences that she knew about our little secret!  When she confronted my dad about this he simply said he couldn't stand to see me cry so he just took me back home and we played all day!!  Ha - what a guy, eh?  I turned out okay anyway (no comment on this one from anyone)!

Eventhough my dad was not to my knowledge a born again Christian he taught me so much about loving others, reaching out to those in need, unconditional love, taking care of the environment, loving nature...so much good stuff that I hope I am showing my kids as well (Fail, Fail, many times over, but a work in progress)!! 


I often wonder what he would think if he could just come back to us for one day.  What would he think about having a grand-daughter?.  How hard would he laugh at his great grandson and how much would he let him get by with???  What would he think of the price of gas?  The bad economy?  The war in Iraq? 


So much has changed since he left us on that awful day 10 years ago.  But his legacy of love has only grown stronger!  I love you dad - A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!!

My sweet dad putting together a puzzle with Z when he was a little guy!!