My blogging creativity is at a standstill. In fact, most of my blogging and Twitter activities are on hiatus. More about that for another time. For now, I will simply say it has most everything to do with So Long, Insecurity. If you’re a woman, buy it and read it. If you’re a man, particularly a married man, read your wife’s copy after she’s done with it. It will be a huge asset to living with your wife in an understanding way. My promotion of the book is not about the author, whom I deeply respect. It’s about the murky mires of insecurity, of chronic self-consciousness where perfection is its best cover, and the bondage it has over our lives. I am one of its poster children. But, and that’s a big BUT, we have a God-given right to live as secure, confidently humble people. And that’s what I want. I trust this is the beginning of something new in my life that I hope to share with you as the Lord permits. For now, I’m going to borrow a post idea from Lindsee Lou that I saw on her blog a few weeks ago. I thought it was quite clever.
A is for adoption, the miracle of adoption. We have friends awaiting a call they could receive any day now telling them that their second baby boy is being delivered, whereupon they’ll drive from PA to MI to welcome him into their family. This sweet couple, friends of Amanda, is raising funds to help with their adoption by selling t-shirts. Ya’ll, I’ve witnessed firsthand the astounding testimony it is to adopt, having walked with a friend through her journey, even getting to hear the cries over the phone of a dream fulfilled as she received the news that she and her husband had been chosen by a birth mother to raise her little girl. It marked me forever. Consider helping.
B is for beautiful, beautiful day. It’s gorgeous here, ya’ll! Winter has melted and spring has arrived.
C is for the chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake I have to make this weekend. Pray for me. I really, really want to be good and not have any, ‘cause you know that spring weather I mentioned, well my body is not ready for non-winter clothes that are not as forgiving.
D is for drastic change. I want drastic change in my life, freedom from insecurity and the pride that keeps me bound up in it.
E is for the E.R. visit that we made last Thursday morning. You know the week where all of us were sick? Well, we had a few good days and then Brennan got sick again, this time with 3 days of fever over 103. Our doctor said he just picked up something new, but after the third day when he woke up moaning, I was simply scared. So we went to the E.R. where they drew blood (twice) and said his white blood cell count was elevated, so they proceeded to do a chest x-ray and retrieve a urine sample in a most unpleasant way. My boy was put through the gamut of tests and finally received antibiotics through an IV. He turned a corner the next day, thanks be to God.
F is for friends I am thankful for. Friends that I ache for. Friends that I cry out to God on their behalf to rescue them from unemployment, from cancer, from the pain of separation and broken marriages. I ache for my friends.
G is sadly for the number of grey hairs I am discovering. In case you weren’t sure, my hair color is not natural. When it comes time to recolor my hair, I notice there are more and more grey hairs appearing. Both Gaga and my momma were prematurely grey. I’m afraid to find out if I should be telling people my natural hair color is not light brown but grey.
H is for hair: curly, black-haired girls that I seem to have an affinity for making them my closest friends. Corrie and Jill, are cases in point.
I is for one of my favorite chores: ironing. Well, it’s only my favorite because I can do it while watching T.V. This week’s show of choice while ironing: Lost. By the way, I have a prediction. I think Jack will be the new Jacob and Sawyer will be the new man in black. What do ya think?
J is for Jesus. I love Jesus.
K is for the African country, Kenya, where a team of Compassion bloggers just arrived. Read some posts about their trip and look at the pictures of the beautiful people of Kenya. There is a whole lotta world out there besides our corner of it.
L is for losin’ it. Brennan loses it nearly every time Matt leaves for work. It’s painfully crushing to watch him chase after Matt and melt down into a ball of tears as his daddy walks out the door. If Matt’s holding him while saying ‘goodbye’, the boy will resist being transferred to my arms with crocodile tears streaming down his face. It’s bittersweet to me. I love that that boy is crazy about his daddy and runs into his arms to welcome him home. But it’s so sad for me to watch and have to pick up the pieces of a sad boy crying, sitting in front of the garage door as Matt leaves for the day.
M is for Matthew 25: 34-46, verses that have kept coming up in my life over the past three weeks. They’re gettin’ my attention.
N is for Brennan’s crazy nap schedules. For a week and a half, he’s given me signs he’s ready to drop his morning nap, which we have for three days this week, successfully. But today and yesterday, he took a morning nap. Is this normal? Do I stick with skipping the morning nap or what? He’s so young, I would think he still needs a morning nap, but it’s more often a miss than a hit. Suggestions?
O is for The Office. We’re kinda sad the Olympics are over, but last night, the baby episode of The Office was on, and I LOVED it! I cringed and wiggled throughout it as it completely unnerved me. Between Dwight’s demolition which reminded me of our house flood, and Pam’s struggle to nurse, which was well, ahem, my struggle to nurse (except she got her baby to finally latch), I’m unraveled from the very core of my being (in a good Office fashion)!!!!!!
P is for praying before meals in which Brennan ends the prayer with a grunting noise, which is his attempt at saying, “Amen”. It’s the best ever!
Q is for quacking…and mooing, barking, meowing, roaring…all of the animal sounds I make these days. You’d think I’d be a professional animal sound maker by now. But sadly, I’m not.
R is for our friend, Robert. I’ve written about him before. The update: after a round of chemo, two rounds of high-dose chemo, intensive surgery, and another round of chemo, each of these various treatments have failed. Robert and Aimee are now praying about the next step, which may consist of clinical treatments. There is a group of friends and family praying for Robert and Aimee and their three kiddos this weekend. Please consider joining us.
S is for spring break!! In a week, Brennan and I will head to San Antonio to be with Pops and Meems. We’re stoked!
T is for toilet paper, the glorious invention of toilet paper! After waiting to buy paper products last month, without totally incriminating myself, we really needed TP last Saturday. Really, really. I’ve never been more excited to go to Target. After reading my post, my Momma had great concern that my pathetic state of not getting up to get Kleenex was a reflection of her parenting. <grin> She did raise me better. She is a lady. So were my grandmothers. It skipped my generation. You may have been as concerned as she was, but don’t fret. She bought us enough paper products so I don’t have put my family in a TP/Kleenex-less predicament again. <grin> Thanks, Momma!
U is for unpredictable. Such is my life these days.
V is for Miss Molly’s vomit, which is unexplainable and happens too often. Poor puppy!! She’s always had a sensitive tummy, but it’s off the charts these days. I will pay an arm and a leg for Nature’s Miracle. That stuff is awesome.
W is for Wheaton. Matt’s 10 year college reunion is this fall, and we’re so excited to go back and hang out with all our buddies! Never mind that we’re old.
X is for xenodochial, something I hope to be.
Y is for yodeling. I’m a really good yodeler. Not.
Z is for my boy who zooms everywhere! He is fast, ya’ll. I’ve had several people comment that he is an unusually good walker for his age. I even had one friend with grown children tell me in all seriousness as she watched him zoom by that she was going to start praying for me every day.
I hope ya’ll are doing well, and have a great weekend!
