Desperate for You and Vegetables

Where's Little Bear?

Tea Party!

My Grands visited me for the first part of Spring Break!  It has been so much fun, watching them play, learn, discover each other in new ways, and just having them close to snuggle and read to and sing with.  CB and the girls arrived Friday.  On Saturday she went on an overnight trip to Nana's house and to visit with teacher colleagues.  Grandpa and I played "Where's Little Bear?", picnic, pillow toss, barber chair and piano bench spins, read stories, watched loony toons and Nick Jr.  We all went to church Sunday morning and danced, sang, listened, drew, snacked a little, and saw Miss L's art.  Then we ran in the courtyard a little before coming home to meet Nannie, Becky, Jonah and Gracie who were arriving at our house.

Jonah and Grandpa built a catapult, and afterward sidewalk chalk on the driveway and a giant mess in the sandbox followed.  Much eating ensued--pulled pork, braised carrots, whole grain bread and butter, many bowls of watermelon, blueberries and strawberries, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, rice cakes, more watermelon, veggie sticks, bananas, more watermelon, popcorn, a tea party of cinnamon rolls, orange slices, chocolate cupcakes, and of course-tea!

My kids and their kids had an afternoon at the park while I tried to loosen up at Body Flow. More eating and washing down with smoothies made of fruit, milk, yogurt, protein powder, elderberry syrup and probiotic powder.

Ruby reading My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks             

After kid baths and showers we girls talked a little. Or a lot.  To each other and to our husbands, who, bless their hearts, were missing all the fun stuff.  Late last night I found an invasion of ants and perhaps also termites in the kitchen.  After spraying, killing, and cleaning thoroughly with bleach all the affected areas. I went to bed about 1:00 AM and then had a dream.

I was in my parents' house and it was filled with relatives.  All my grandparents were there.  Only my Daddy was missing. Muffin and all our girls and all their children were there, along with other younger children.  Something was wrong and I seemed to be trying very hard to keep household chores and children in reasonable control.  My grandmothers were trying to talk to me and tell me about customs they followed in caring for their families and houses. My mother was doing laundry, but it was my laundry and my children's laundry and some of the grandchildren's also.  While she put the dirty clothes in the washer, before I had checked them, I discovered that some of the latches and locks on the doors and windows were faulty, allowing them to swing open and closed, and the children were wandering in and out of them, into potentially dangerous territory.  I was notifying Muffin that repairs were in order for safety and then ran to look at the laundry.  All sorts of make-up, papers, and plastic had gone into the laundry with the clothing and left spots and discolorations on each and every garment.  I was trying to find a way to not cast blame, and to corral all the little ones--damage control--when I woke up.  

Near noon today we took chicken tenders and cupcakes to Nannie's house, and she served sides: Macaroni n cheese, bread and butter, mashed potatoes, and lemonade pie.  Awhile ago the girls and the grands left for their respective homes and I suddenly realized that I was desperate for time with Father God.  And some real vegetables.  While I have a plate of Asian slaw, watermelon, and greens, I'm listening to my favorite praise music.  A very satisfying meal!  

A Typical "atypical" week

I guess I've been busy. Sometimes it feels busy-quiet. Sometimes busy-frantic. Sometimes busy-by-choice. Last week was fairly typical and also extraordinary. I think that is what comes from living with Jesus in the driver's seat.
~Monday: Finishing touches on cleaning the house before teaching. Quick run to the bank, post office and library. Cardio workout at the gym for 40 minutes. Meeting with my Emmaus reunion group to share, make agape for the next Walk, and pray. My amazing sisters always inspire me!  Home to teach 9 students, ages seven - adult.  A few hours to decompress with "Chuck" or another fun TV show while doing computer work for the studio.

~Tuesday: Calls for Baby Music to individuals, Mother's Day Out, and learning about Baby Expo, a venue in May to reach young families with all kinds of helpful products and services for their babies.  Started building posters and flyers by computer.  Followed up with a grandmother who wants to start classes with her granddaughter this week. Yea!  Quick lunch. Taught 11 students, ages adult-five. Ending the evening with 8:00 Body Flow with Tyler and Eve.  Excellent!  As always, home to a light supper while calling Nannie and talking late night with Muffin.  That is without exception!!

~Wednesday: 9:30 Class at church. This is our ongoing Sozo class, which is currently studying "Belonging" by Ed Khouri and his group, as well as The Life Model, also written by a group.  This is all about building the capacity for joy to live in the front of your brain rather than from the back of the brain where all the primal urges drive us--fear for example.  After Sozo class, I ran in a little late to the noon Body Flow class with Jackie--an awesome teacher! Back home for a shower, quick "half lunch" and teaching.  Today I have 10 students ages 6-15.  In fact there are three six year olds and three eight year olds and they are very entertaining.  After this class I practiced for an hour, which I also did on Monday and Tuesday, for a performance the following morning.  Bach's Arioso is my choice piece for the event.

~Thursday: Arrived before my accompanist for an early run-through of the Arioso, so went to the bank to make a deposit and returned to the program site. The occasion is Harmony Club, a nationally federated music club. I've been a member since 1977 when I was expecting Boo and Christel went to Mother's Day Out on Thursday mornings.  The club has been in Abilene for over 70 years. We meet monthly and have short programs, studies, and promote music activities in the city such as public programs, music instrument donations, scholarship donations for summer study for students, support for music organizations.  After an interesting program, I drove home to deposit my violin and change clothes, eating a very light lunch before my Pilates training session with Kevin.  It was a killer!  I spent 15 minutes in Wal-Mart purchasing a scarf and two birthday cards, then drove to an appointment for a massage.  It isn't all a luxury.  I need deep tissue massage to break down lumpy bumpy tissues and sometimes it really hurts, but releases toxins.  Afterwards I drink about a gallon of water.  Then I went home to rest a little before teaching Baby Music with Caitlin from 6:30-7:30.  We discussed flyers and advertising. Then home to wait for Muffin to arrive.  He received an award for patent applications and Kaki was his date to the banquet.  Then he drove all the way home and arrived about 12:30 a.m.  So proud of him!

~Friday: Slept late. Unavoidable and purposefully.  Returned some phone calls. Muffin made calls for Nana, whose phone account had been violated with porn calls and texts.  Evil!  Got one birthday card in the mail for super nephew. Ran to Body Flow class with Erica (Torture Woman) at noon, then bought McDonald's salads and headed to the church.  We ate in the car and waited for our pastor and a man who had an appointment for a Sozo.  He is a recovering alcoholic, been sober 15 months.  Lives in a shelter for homeless and has been in prison three times.  Wants to live for Jesus and start over and be free.  For two hours we ministered to him and visibly saw his posture change from anxious and nervous and almost combative to peaceful and relaxed and tears of joy for the freedom found in forgiveness.  It was awesome!  Afterward we shopped for groceries and rejoiced, came home and rested and watched A Year in Provence. Muffin made deliciousioso chocolate chip cookies-white and dark chocolate.


~Saturday:  Started a roast and veggies in the crock pot for some neighbors whose mother died last week.  They have been in OK City and back and then had a piano contest all day Saturday with their daughter.  They were exhausted and overwhelmed.  We offered to cook a meal.  While that was cooking we went to Body Flow, to Target, and to another grocery store for goods for the weekend.  And Muffin took the car to be inspected.  I made a blackberry cobbler and a salad and put whole wheat rolls in a basket. We delivered the meal at 6:15 and visited 20 minutes.  Then the two of us went for dinner at Copper Creek--blackened salmon in strawberry sauce, mashed potato-carrots, steamed broccoli, and fresh bread.  Yum!  Such a pleasant environment and evening.

  Home to finish cleaning the kitchen and  put away all groceries and just chill awhile.  Also worked on the flyers and brochures again.  And read some Vince Flynn, which I borrowed from the library.

~Sunday: Played with the praise team and was so blessed to be where the Spirit poured out!  After church and a thought provoking sermon about building joy, we met the family who helped build City Church DC.  Went to lunch with them and their son and he blessed us with paying the tab and lots of great conversation about the Lord's work.  Home for a nap, cooking dinner for our week, cleaning house for the week and packing for Muffin's return to work today.
All in all, abundant blessings in learning God's ways.  How we love Him!

Rebuilding

I used Joy & Mike's bathroom as an object lesson in Bible class today.  Our study is on Sensible Strategies for Belonging.  Today's lesson was titled Regaining a Genuine Self.  Just to explain the progression of the discussion, the leading questions were:

1. Who in your life do you label mature and why? (Muffin- He acts like himself in the midst of difficulty, establishes an accurate community identity, enjoys each community member, parents and matures the community, and gives life to those without a family through spiritual adoption)

2. Why do people with underdeveloped "joy centers" appear to do just fine for the first 20 or 30 years of life then collapse?  They isolate to cope, so we don't see them fall apart until they are married and have children or go into the work force. 

3. Do you know any high functioning adults who are responsible in many areas of life but have difficulty maintaining successful and enduring relationships?   Do you know any "child adults" who only take care of themselves often at the expense of others?  

 

So this is where the bathroom analogy hit me.  Their bathroom looks good except for a crack in the floor, which we know is indicative of a much bigger problem.  When the experts told them what was needed they said to prepare with a trash truck that would hold two tons of materials, because they know how much needs to be removed before the renovation can begin.  Making a comeback to be a mature adult after 20 or more years of thinking like a child because of a broken life isn't easy, but it is a possibility if the right people are there with the trash truck doing the renovation and Jesus is involved. Several people sitting in our study are evidence to a "renovated life."  One was locked in a room for long periods of time for 11 years by a step father who didn't want to deal with her while her mother was on business trips.  Another reverted to her "child self" and tried to commit suicide six times before finding that Jesus was there for her even in her past.  God is good.  All the time. He never changes. That means that He is there now. He was there then. He will be there tomorrow.  I love Him!

A lovely President's Day God Moment

Last Thursday Nannie was in a car accident while I was teaching a group lesson, or precisely as I was arriving at the church to teach the group lesson. In my hands I had the NFMC bulletin of prescribed pieces along with notes for parents for the lesson.  In the car I had all my Baby Music supplies and instruments and violin in the trunk, as well as a pile of mail for some neighbors that was mistakenly delivered to my house.

Leaving the church in a great hurry, I was careful to pick up my violin, the NFMC bulletin and the extra parent notes.  I hadn't seen the bulletin and notes since then.  And I could not find them in the house or in the car.  I was feeling pretty crazy this afternoon after many minutes of looking for the book, needing the information it contains for registering my students for a festival.  I just finished saying, "Lord, I need that bulletin.  Please show me where it is."

The doorbell rang.  No one rings the doorbell on lesson days. Everyone just comes inside. There stands the neighbor whose mail I delivered to her late in the evening after Nannie was released from the ER and having x-rays.  She had my bulletin and extra notes in her hand along with yesterday's newspaper article.  She said, " I wondered if you needed this, then I read the article and realized that you really need it.  I also work with 4 and 5 year olds with disabilities at a rural school district and we use music as therapy all the time.  I'm so impressed with what you are doing." I had stacked their mail on top of the bulletin and notes and handed it all over to her without noticing the extra bulk.

Wow!  Thanks, Lord for the bulletin, for a new neighbor, and for the connection.

Back to Reality

So we had an awesome visit, and two very cramped flights, to see Joy and Mike.  When we visited the Capitol city in the past we would stay in hotels and sight-see during the day while our daughters worked and attended classes.  At night they would come see us at the hotel and eat carry out from their favorite restaurants with us.  Now that Joy and Mike own a house in a cozy neighborhood we don't get out too much, but that's really our fault.  It's just so comfortable at their house and there are meals to cook and laundry to wash, dry and fold.  In the past two weeks I have experienced a deep freezing cold spell that stopped our city and all activities, a brief thaw, followed by another day of ice and snow, followed by a six day trip.

Arriving in late afternoon to 80 degree weather was almost a shock.  I tried to focus on chores and organizing activities for the days ahead and that was fortunate and wise. Thursday morning I indulged in a pedicure and ran errands
then came home to finish laundry and change clothes for a Pilates training session.  I came home to plan a group lesson, viewing a video and taking notes, then transcribing them as a hand-out for parents.  Only seven students came to the lesson--some of them without parents.  Just as I arrived at the church to teach them, my phone showed a voice mail message from Nannie.  I quickly listened to is as I tuned some violins.  She had been hit by a driver who ran through a red light, downtown, at a busy intersection.

Clouds from above--in flight  I call this one an

angel wing. Below, pop corn and fleecy blanket. 

At that moment I had my violin and several others that were severely out of tune as a result of extreme weather changes, three students who were attending without parents and who had no rides, and no way to contact parents to come get their children.  Thank God for His goodness!  She was not seriously injured and Brother G was able to meet her there and stay with her until I could meet them at the doctor's office.  Then we went to the ER for x-rays and then back to her home.  She has a large bruise on her knee, and seat belt bruising, but no broken bones.  The final reports are not yet in. The other driver was cited for running the red light and for disobeying child restraint laws. She had a rent car from Enterprise. Neither Enterprise nor her personal insurance has contacted my Mom's agent.  The collision shop has not made a decision on whether or not the 10 year old Buick is totalled.  Mom's agent has adviser her to wait another week to ask for a rent car. Her insurance company may, or may not, pay for a rent car for "a few days", perhaps 2 or 3, or less.  In other words, no one is taking any responsibility.

Yesterday the advice was to wait, move slowly and see what the liable driver's insurance had to offer. Today the advice was to move quickly to find another car for Nannie. Nannie had a list of things she did NOT want--Asian made cars; cars with unusual colors like pink, yellow, green, or purple; cars with gear shift in the console column; cars with "too many new functions to learn"; SUV's; too many miles on them; anything that required payments.  What did she want?  " I don't know anything at all about cars.  I'm completely dependent on you and Muffin."

Muffin did the shopping. Found a car. It, of course, has gear shift in the console. He took her to see it and it seems to have passed the Nannie test for today.  Meanwhile I had a consultation for music with a bride and her mother, cleaned house, we purchased nail clippers for Scooter, 15 gallons of drinking water, fresh produce, and went out for dinner.  And all of that only took ten hours.

The Awesome Story

This is Joy,

our Awesome Third Born Daughter.                     The Awesome House where she lives.

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                  


                                                                    Awesome husband, Son-in-Law, Mike.

And these are the Awesome Flowers Mike bought for our Awesome Daughter, Joy.  Gerbera Daisies  

and Hydrangeas.

Here are the Awesomes, dressed for a ball. 

 We visited them last week end and for three additional days.  A life long friend of our Fourth Born Awesome Daughter (not pictured in this post), came to the Awesomes Home to visit.    She moved from Texas and works just a few blocks from the Awesome House and lives all alone until her dearly beloved husband of almost five years moves from Texas to live with her at the end of May. She is lonely.  We invited her to come over for homemade soup.  She can't tell us what she does at work or she will have to kill us, but we still love her and fed her soup.   Here she is sitting with Awesome Daughter of the Third Born Placement in the McFamily.

This is an embassy near the Awesome House. 

Another of the neighborhood embassies.

Yet another one.

Yep. Another embassy. 

 No.  This is the National Cathedral.  Just passing by it inspires me to take photos. 

The Awesomes have high pressure jobs. When they come home they like to cuddle in the basement and watch big screen TV.  This is Glee on the big screen. 

A gift from work one day. 

After work, she receives invitations to Awesome events. 

In Awesome places. Like the same bowling alley named for this man.

The Awesome couple lives about 150 yards from this Awesome Church--City Church DC.  It rocks!

After all that awesomeness, this is what I do at their house.
The END.

Emerging from The Big Quiet

 The temperature began to rise during the night of the fourth day of silence enforced by the storm.

 By morning the welcomed sunshine created shadows, but  even the low temperatures were no match for full sun on the pavement.  Let the thawing begin!

 At noon a river of snowmelt gushed in the streets and floated sheets of ice with it.  Driving was particularly hazardous in dodging the ice chunks.

 If you zoom in, you can see the pipe still contains a solid chunk of ice where water was flowing from the building at the motor bank.  This photo taken at about 3 pm. after several hours of temperature in the lower 30's.

 Some streets were cleared by front end loaders--all that is available in southern states.

 And some streets were only cleared by Mr. Sunshine and had to wait 2-3 days.

Likewise areas on the north sides or in deep shady areas.  Last night we had a light dusting of new snow. But temperatures are expected to rise to the 50's by tomorrow.  I totally understand why Minnesotans run and frolic like rabbits when the sun comes out and the snow melts in April or May.

Last week I could have done anything I wanted to during the four "snow days."  I had a good book and lots of music and plenty of practicing to do. Instead I chose to listen. I sat in stillness for many hours. I listened to sermons, music, teaching of various subjects, podcasts, and recorded scripture.  And I listened to the Holy Spirit.  I asked Him questions and tried to discern His answers.  I still have more questions, but here are some of those that were answered.

Q: Why are so many states experiencing this storm, the hardship, isolation, and severity of it all?
Q: What is the significance of the violence of the storm, the thunder, lightening, hail, sleet, snow, wind, and low temperatures? The length of duration?
Q: What is the significance of world events at this time? The violence in Cairo, Egypt and the demands that Mubarak leave office?
Q: What is my part in all of this, in the Big Picture and Scheme of Life?

A:  In learning to minister to individuals who have experienced trauma we learn that the two sides of the brain have been disconnected in their cooperation with each other. The side that experiences and the side that processes feelings no longer work together.  I began to see that as a huge problem for the USA as a whole:  Brain Trauma of a Nation with no cooperation between the two sides of the head.

Sometimes in ministry and prayer a loud sound will reset those two sides.  There is evidence of this, but I won't go into that in this post.  So, when praying for a person with deep trauma if they know a loud clap, or sharp sound is coming and that signifies the resetting of their brain, there is a great calm and peace that follows and progress in healing follows that.  It's as if the sharp sound stops the effect of the lasting trauma and a new direction begins.  For example when Jesus hung on the cross and spoke "Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit" what followed was darkness and a loud sound from heaven that split the veil of the temple in two parts from top to bottom, thus opening a way into the Holy of Holies that had never been there before!  And then three days of silence passed while Jesus was leading all captivity captive and setting them free to live eternally.  His blood was cleansing, freeing, giving access, resetting everything in the spiritual realm, enabling us to die to ourselves and allow Him to live through us, reclaiming all dominion and authority, healing all diseases, conquering our inner hurts and iniquities, will power, broken hearts, and releasing us from poverty into His riches!  Glory! ( I learned much of that in yesterday's sermon from our pastor. Thanks, David!)

So we had these great claps of thunder and lightening and lost power and traffic stopped for three days and violence poured forth in Egypt. All of that certainly got the attention of many who would have foraged on with business as usual.   I believe God "re-set the brains" of many of us to think as He thinks with a perspective of Love. To spend time with our families, or in silence or creativity or even on Facebook reconnecting with friends. At the end of three days the violence in Egypt turned peaceful and negotiations began.  The people are being heard.  The way of the Lord is being prepared in Egypt. And as for my part, well I blogged about it.