Up Close and Personal ...

I'm pretty sure this is the closest I've ever been to a cow.

Like, it was RIGHT there.

It might have even been giving me the evil eye.

I think it wanted food.

It tried to eat my baby.

My baby got away.

He kind of thought it was funny.  I think the cow was a little embarrassed.

 

This city slicker boy tried to tell that cow a thing or two.

He talked to it a bit more.  (Please note ... the girl holding onto Jacob was not the girl who gave him the love note.  If it was, mama might have had to sit in between those two.)

They joked around a little bit.

He thought about petting the cow.

Made faces at it instead.

And the cow made faces right back.

Mine ... all mine.

The other day Jacob was at the park and a little girl came up to him and yelled RIGHT IN HIS FACE ... for all the other little playground people to hear ... "I KNOW THE BOY I'M GOING TO MARRY AND I'M LOOKIN' AT HIM."

I kind of laughed and thought it was cute (as well as forward and aggressive) until tonight.  Tonight when Jacob and I were snuggling before bedtime, he told me that he had "pinky promised" his Daddy that he wouldn't tell anyone, but that he wanted to tell me anyway, that a girl in his class had given him a heart that said "I love you" during naptime at school.

My first thought ... ohnoshedidn't.

But he clearly wasn't making it up.  So I guess she did.


And here is what that little girl needs to know.


He is mine.  All mine.  


In fact, I might send him to school in a "My heart belongs to Mommy" t-shirt - except that we don't have a t-shirt like that.  Besides, we are going to the Oil Ranch tomorrow on a field trip tomorrow and he has to wear his school t-shirt.  Otherwise I might go buy or make one.  And I'm not a crafty type, but this is important.



Please note, I'm going on this field trip.  I'll be looking for this girl.  And I may have to tell her that he is mine.

ALL MINE.

Until we meet again ...

One of my favorite memories of high school is going on our church's high school mission trip, or Mission Tour, as it was called.  One year in particular we went to upstate New York.  We helped build the church, we sang the musical called "The Witness" and had a really good time being together.

It's funny the things you remember from those trips.  I remember Jerry Greg Johnson playing Jesus and Holly Tompkins Singleton playing Mary (or was that Carol?  I can't remember!).  I do remember having to dress up in our costumes and pass our flyers at a stoplight in the town.  One man drove up ... saw us in costumes... and my friend Sharon read his lips as he said ... "lock your doors!"  We still laugh about that.  I'm sure we were a pretty unusual sight.  I remember Neil Hardwick burst his eardrum swimming in a pool.  I remember Kathryn Krodell getting some sad news from Little Rock as we were on our way home.

A few times during the trip we would break up into small groups and stay in various "host homes" from the church we were visiting that night.  We were instructed to sing this song ... an Irish blessing ... to the family when we left as a type of "thank you" for their hospitality.  I loved the way we sounded when we sang that song together acapella.  It might have been because I was mouthing the words that we sounded so good (I'm planning on being able to carry a tune in heaven).

But I did love it and I've sung it to my babies throughout the years.  I sang it last night to two of my daughters as I was putting them to bed and one of them (the know it all one) said "MOM, no one knows that song.  No one has ever even heard of it."

And I thought to myself ... now that's a crying shame.  It's far too pretty a song not to know it.  I love it so much.  I searched all through youtube until I found a choir that sang our particular version ... and it just so happens it was a church youth choir reunion video.  (I had to search through so many of another particular version that I'm starting to think this group stole our version from us.  Or borrowed it maybe ... seeing how they are a church and all).

Anyway ... Little Rock's First Baptist Mission Trip to New York .... this is for you.

Until we meet again .... may God hold you in the palm of His hand.






P.S.  Please feel free to leave your favorite memory of this trip in the comments section!

A little bit of money and a ruby ring ...

I told you a few weeks ago that I had some stories from Midland.  

One of them is about my new friend,  Alta Lynn Gerlach.  She is married to the pastor of Crestview Baptist Church.  I didn't say "pastor's wife" because I didn't want you to get the wrong idea.  She doesn't really fit the "pastor's wife" mold except that she fits it perfectly.  

Alta Lynn is fun, funny, creative, accepting, kind, smart ... to know her is to love her.  She helped pick out all the furniture for their new church building, she works full time at the Miss Cayce's Christmas Store - you know, the one that I RAVED about, leads a design team at that store,  has two daughters, she seems to always be on the go and yet ... in just the little bit of time I got to spend with her, she seems so grounded.  I can't explain her ... and she probably likes it that way.

This is Alta Lynn: 

And this is her story.  It's one of my favorites.

Alta Lynn was the daughter of an American soldier and a Korean mother.  She was born near the end of the Korean War.  I don't know anything about her father and I'm not sure she does either.  Her mother however loved Alta Lynn and wanted the best for her.  She told a missionary who was visiting that he could take Alta Lynn to America in order for a family to adopt her, enabling her daughter to have a better life than the one she felt she could provide.

A family in Texas was told that their daughter was coming soon and they began to prepare for her arrival.  But shockingly, they found out that somehow, the little girl they thought would be their own, had been sold on the black market.  They were planning to begin praying for a new daughter, but their church said "no".  We've been praying for this daughter and we're going to keep praying for her.

Because Alta Lynn's father was an American, the CIA was able to get involved and they found her.  (The CIA is really good at their job but I personally think those prayer warriors back in Texas had a little something to do with finding a little girl lost in a big country.)  When the missionary went to the person who had bought Alta Lynn, he offered "a little bit of money and a ruby ring" and "bought" her back.

Alta Lynn came to America and grew up in the most loving of homes.  She completed her education and got multiple advanced degrees.  She married John Gerlach and became a mother.  And she tells everyone  that she has had a " truly wonderful" life. 

A life that was changed because someone bought her for "a little bit of money and a ruby ring". 

And why is that one of my favorite stories?

For starters because Alta Lynns story is so much like our story.

We were bought for a price.  A price far higher than "a little bit of money and a ruby ring."  We were bought as a result of Jesus dying on a cross.  As I Corinthians 3:20 says ... "you were bought at a price". 

You. 

You were bought. 

At a price ... and a large one at that.

Although Alta Lynn has no memory of her mother, she told me that she knows her mother loved her.  She has a picture of herself and her mom when she was about two or three and her hair is perfectly curled.  It is flipped "just so" and Alta Lynn said ... "that wasn't easy to do".  And although she doesn't remember her mother or her mother fixing her hair, that picture, to her, proves her mother loved her so much that she spent time and fixed her hair ... "just so." 

Like Alta Lynn, we know we are loved.  God made us ... formed us.  Knows the number of hairs on our head.

Alta Lynn feels like she has bad a pretty remarkable life and I'd have to agree. 

And that is why I love this story.

Our story.
 

The story of "a little bit of money and a ruby ring."

For this I am thankful ...

We are a busy family.  It's true.  We spend a lot of time participating in sports, music lessons, various after school activities, etc.  

Sometimes I think we should limit it better ... but I never know what thing(s) to cut out.  If anyone ever balked ... we'd back out ... but they don't.  Britany goes to the gym four days a week for four hours each day ... and she prays on all four of those nights ... "thank you God that I got to go to gymnastics today."  

On Wednesday nights our family chooses to do church choir and a missions program.  Sometimes I ask myself why we are doing this ... it seems crazy.  We race all week ... why not set aside this night to stay home.  And there is a lot to be said for that and I don't fault anyone who makes that decision.  But for us, we go to choir.  Our church has a fabulous childrens choir program with wonderful workers that teach the children hymns, Bible verses and a love for music.  The program goes from 3 years through 5th grade.  (My 8th grader said "no way jose" to the youth choir.  At first I balked, but we reached a very happy agreement where she goes to the youth Bible Study on Wednesday nights but uses the other time to study.  She is an excellent student and not one of those who likes to do it all.)


Last night Brittany, Savannah and Jacob all three sang in the Thanksgiving program.  And watching them I was so ... well, thankful.  

*Thankful for 4 healthy children.
*Thankful that our children are learning to sing God's word.
*Thankful they are making a joyful noise unto the Lord.
*Thankful for a church that emphasizes music and has a such a wonderful choir program.
*Thankful for workers that take time out of their own busy lives to teach my children.
*Thankful that their choir programs reflect the importance of giving God your best work.

 *Thankful that Brittany got a small speaking part and valued it so much that she didn't go to the gym Saturday morning (shocking, I know!) so she could participate in the dress rehearsal.
*Thankful that I made the effort to get them there ... even when we were slamming down supper and no one could find their shoes.  :)
*Thankful for Jacob ... looking back at me with his sweet smile.  

Thankful for the joy of watching my children sing:

 

That's Brittany on the right ... telling everyone to have a Happy Thanksgiving.  

And I will ... because I have so much for which to be thankful.

The rest of the story ....

I just had a "request" from Dallas.  My friend Debra says you need to know the "rest of the story" about the McDonald's Arch cards for the soldiers.

Long story short ... I happened to tell someone at the McDonalds by my house about it (because I am, uhm, a "frequenter" of their business and they know me there) about my idea.  She loved it and said she wanted her boss to hear about it ... who then wanted the Houston office to hear about it, who then, I assume, called the Dallas office (regional headquarters) and told them about it.

And then a nice lady named Erica from Dallas called me and said ... "we're shipping you Arch cards today to pass out to soldiers".  She went on to say that they generally only support Ronald McDonald charities, but they wanted to help out with this project.  She also said they were sending BGO cards to the families left behind by the soldiers who were overseas.  I had to ask, but BGO cards are "buy one/get one" cards.

Today my cousin wrote this sweet blog, and it made my day.

Because really and truly ... it only takes a spark.  

I'd love for you to join us in setting a fire of thanks to our soldiers.  As we fly to see our familes, let's thank those who are flying away from their families to protect our freedom.

I kind of thought McDonalds was in the burger business.  According to Erica ... they like causing people to smile ....

And I've signed up to help them out.

Little Adieu about everything ...

This post is just about this, that and the other and nothing really.

Except for some fun things happened today.

First, McDonalds regional office called today and said they were shipping me some Arch cards to hand out in airports during the holidays.  I cannot wait for my children to help me do this and experience the joy of telling someone ... especially a soldier, thanks.

Second, both girls went to GAP today at our elementary school.  GAP stands for God Answers Prayer and a woman in Houston started this group years ago and more and more groups keep popping up.  The really awesome thing is that almost all the 5th and 3rd grade girls in our school come ... they have t-shirts with verses on them and, most importantly, they get to hear about God.  And it is thrilling to me to be able to do this in the public schools.  I mean ... if God wants to be in public schools, He can find a way in there.  I'm just sayin'. 

Lastly ... tonight we had an Italy reunion.   We all got together and had dinner, watched our videos, looked at the pictures and retold many of the stories.  We had such a good time!  Made me want to travel again so badly.  Especially with that group.

And that's all I have here.  Have a great weekend!