These Hands

These hands are 51 years old.

They bathe and dress and put on my makeup early every morning.

They drink coffee, eat breakfast and write verses and prayers to change my heart and feed my soul.

These hands fist bump kids in the middle school hallways and take notes at endless meetings.

But these hands reach out to troubled teens and pray with women recovering from the sex industry.

These hands pet my soft dog, play with my iPad and turn hundreds of pages of books to help me relax.

They clean, grocery shop, fold laundry and decorate this beautiful home we are blessed with.

They fist pump to loud music in the car with my Little Sister, Adelle every Saturday.

They rub my husbands back.

They lift weights to make me strong and healthy.

They call my grown kids and aging parents and drive to see them for precious visits.

These hands join with God's people in prayer for the hurting and broken, hoping to share the love we've experienced with the world.

Mama

It's official.  I have opened every app on my iPad today.  

Yesterday after work, I drove to Leavenworth as Mom had surgery.  Dave took her to the hospital and waited all day.  He thinks I have the hard part.  Lol.  They'd just gotten home when I got here.  Mom had her bladder lifted under light sedation.  She did real well.  She went to sleep at 7 last night.  So I farted around, made myself some dinner, watched the voice, settled in.  Her cat had a huge owie on his neck and smelled like a corpse.  I've never actually smelled a corpse.  I finally went to bed in my little middle bedroom at 10 and read til sleep.

Mom got up several times in the night and I finally willed myself to wake up and get her a pain pill.  We slept then til 8.

Fixed mama some breakfast, had some coffee then I went for a run! I ran quite a way before I walked.  Got back and showered then caught the cat with a towel and put it in a cat carrier and took the silly thing to the vet.  It complained the whole way. Made a Wally World run then back to the house.  I did some work stuff, painted both our nails, had an early lunch, sat on the deck in the beautiful cool sunshine for awhile, played on the iPad, and read.  We hung out back on Mom's bed together while she rested and I fell asleep:).  Picked up the cat at the vet and I drove by my childhood house and grade school on the way.  Memory lane.  Ate some pizza for dinner and made mama some pumpkin muffins, then watched the voice and played on the iPad some more.  I went for a walk in the early evening.  Soon we'll watch Chicago Fire.  

If I was home, I'd have worked today and gone to the gym but at home would have done pretty much the same stuff.  With Rex.  And Scott.  

Home tomorrow.

Relaxing Weekend

I spent the weekend relaxing, finally over this sinus infection, I think.  I had a three day weekend after conference week. I spent Friday getting my yearly mammogram and a first bone density scan, then ran a few errands and did some cleaning.  Scott added topsoil and overseeded the whole lawn, nearly killing himself in the process.  I went to step class then we had Stacy over for dinner. Ryan also slept over as he did a ride along with the fire department on Saturday, though we barely saw him.  

Saturday I slept in then picked up Adelle for the weekly grocery trip.  The weather was amazing!  In the afternoon, we got poor sore Scott and Rex and went for a walk along the linear trail.

  It was quite enjoyable.  They were both in rare form.  Every time Scott fake farts Adelle screeches, "Scott!  No fake farting!"  The two have a camaraderie that is fun to witness.  We stopped by the library then Orange Leaf for some froyo. Saturday evening I ran to old stadium and did some stairs then ran home.

Today we got up a bit earlier for us and went to Connection Hour to plan and prepare for TRU.  This is the church branch that will start East of town.  It's sort of a church plant but different.  We will be involved in missions work getting it up and running.  It should be interesting.  Went to church then spent the remainder of the afternoon on the back deck.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  I rested, read,,watched some hgtv, watered the lawn and then face timed with my beautiful Leah!

More

This afternoon I picked up Adelle and we went to the grocery store.  I found the most perfect flower to put in the livingroom!  I'd been looking for a green and purple,arrangement to put in there the height the decorator suggested.  It's a live orchid! 

On the way to take Adelle home, we saw two college boys running shirtless.  She turned to watch them and said, "they shouldn't be allowed to do that!"  I said, do you know what that is called?  Eye candy!"  She thought that was hilarious.

This afternoon I talked to Joel on the phone, had. Glorious nap, then went to our small group Bible study with our dear friends.

It's been a pretty good day.

Homestead Sunday

Got up to beautiful weather today, Sunday, after sleeping for eleven hours.  Went to pick up Theresa who was ready to go.  She was nervous, tearful on and off.  We sat together and Kristen joined her.  Sandy and Deana came in and sat in front of us and we were eventually joined by Christiana's whole family, her parents, and all five of her kids.  Christiana sat by Deana with Deb to her right.  The girls were nervous yet expectant.  They hope so much that their stories will help others.  Just before worship started, Alexis and her husband came to sit behind us.

Deb spoke for a bit between each of the girls' videotaped testimonies.  I am so familiar with their stories yet we cried like babies all the way through each one holding tightly onto each  other.  I felt so proud of them for their courage, their strength, their vulnerability to tell their stories, and the message of faith and hope that shined through each one.  To see Christiana's teen daughters hear her testimony, and see her Dad there....was indescribable.  Deb had Sandy stand for awhile and also me.  When each girl got done with their turn, the whole congregation erupted in applause, which just made us cry harder.  They have each worked so hard to get where they are today.  It's like they've had layer after layer ripped off.  Transformation is such emotionally hard work.  

At the end, Dave just went up to the pulpit and started singing acapella, My chains are gone, I've been set free, my God my Saviour, has ransomed me.  And like a flood, His mercies rain, amazing love, amazing grace.  We prayed, then the offering was a series of verses while the song, Beautiful Things played.  It goes, You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of dust.  You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of us.  One of the verses was ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:4, 5 NIV)

I feel so honored and blessed to be used by God to help these girls along their journeys.

Today

Got up this morning and decided to jump in the car with Scotty to Lawrence for his soccer tournament.  We left at 9:30 and the weather was beautiful.  The games were played the same place Hannah got her teeth knocked in during a soccer game years ago.  I left Scotty there, coaching his little girls.  

He's having so much fun coaching these girls.  I picked up my mama and we drove back across Lawrence to pick up Scott.  Come to think of it, most of my day was spent driving back and forth across Lawrence!  We ate at Chilis and Hannah called during lunch.  I had a huge bacon cheeseburger.  Yum.  

Then we bought Scotty some new shoes, waaaay outside his usually color range.  Makes him look tons younger.

 Then we took Scott back to the fields and did some shopping at Kohls.  I got a fitted pinstripe blue shirt and a bra and mom got a bunch of stuff.  Took he to the car and went back to the fields and had to wait through another game!  Finally got home and watched k state get neat up in Texas.  That was the day..

God Week

It's interesting to me that some weeks are just amazingly filled with God even though my morning devotions have been rushed or cut short....Wednesday was an amazing FCA (read previous blog post), then Thursday I had the most amazing sessions with each of the Homestead girls.  I felt like I opened my mouth and out came God's words right into their hearts.  Lots of Holy Spirit tears.  Then today, I shared the gospel and discussed it for over an hour with a dear friend!  So cool.