New Addition

The Lord works in mysterious ways. The birth of a baby is such a joyous occasion and sometimes we take the whole procreating ability for granted. We assume that everyone has the ability to have children, while in reality not everyone does. I have family members who have tried for the 18 years they've been married to conceive a child. You name the procedure, they tried it. I think they had come to accept that they would never have children together. He had a child previously and of course, she is considered "their" child as well, but they always wanted one together. So, it was last year on Christmas Eve, of all days, that she discovered that in fact she was pregnant. Not that they had been trying, but it just miraculously happened after all these years. It truly is a miracle.

So welcome to this world, Major Braxton.



Safe in the arms of big sister, Brandy

Jesus and Me

So, the vacation bible school event at Harris Chapel UMC has come and gone. Thank goodness. I say that as a very tired VBS Director. I didn't really want to take on the task of director this year for a variety of reasons, but I can never tell my pastor "no", so once again I took charge and got everything organized. This year was much better than past years because the time was shorter and we still managed to get every story told. We had Joseph, Mary, Martha, and Jesus, and Peter. Stories we've not learned about in vbs curriculum previously. It takes a village to put this shindig together and I must give a shout out to my wonderful husband, who pretty much acted out every bible story. I, too, got in on the storytelling action by portraying Mary to his Jesus while our very good friend played Martha. Our friend was a little perturbed at me because her part was very long while all I had to do was act like I was cleaning up, answer the door when Jesus knocked and say "Why hello Jesus, I'm so glad to see you. I'm so excited you've come to visit us, won't you please sit down and relax". Whew...I didn't think I'd remember my lines. Art, fabulous as always, came inside, greeted everyone, sat down and we pretty much just talked to ourselves for the rest of the storytelling time. As you can see by this picture, Jesus (Art) appears to be laughing while I am seated at his feet holding my broom. I figure this was when Jesus asked Mary where she got her 1st century red broom and I said at the downtown Jerusalem Wal-Mart of course. I'm not sure why Jesus thought this was funny, but oh well. Have I mentioned how relieved I am that VBS is over?

I See God!

My husband has already posted his sunset photo, but I must post mine. I snapped this photo a couple of weeks ago using my cellphone as I was leaving home for a quick trip to town. I just happened to look over to my left and saw this beautiful scene. As I was soaking up the wonder of God's creation, my brilliant 9 yr old son says, "Wow Mommy it's like I can see God".




Thanks be to God for moments like these.

I Want This!

My husband laughs at me when he catches me ogling this Thing! But I can't help it! I WANT IT! I don't know why, but I'm drawn to it. Art thinks it's ugly, and it is. Maybe that's what it is, it's so ugly and unusual. See, I have this "thing" about wanting things that noone else has, or being different. And I like "classic" cars, now I realize that the Volkswagen Thing may not be on a list of the most "classic" cars, but it is old enough to be considered an antique. I have hinted around about how much I'd like to have this vehicle, stopping just short of saying I WANT IT! I've been hoping that my wonderful husband will pick up on the hints and try to find out all the details about it. I'd do it myself, but I have this "thing" where I think men try to swindle women when it comes to vehicles. I know cars, but when it comes to the inside parts, well, I'm the typical female. I know nothing, except where to put the oil and gas. So, if you try to talk to me about horsepower, or torque, or pistons, etc it sounds to me like Charlie Brown's mother.... Wah Wahh Wah Wah....
So, maybe my wonderful, adoring, fantastic husband will get this hint and check on it for me.. I love you honey!

Condolences Please

Send condolences to me. I am now the mother of a teenager. I do not know how this happened. Well, I do know how it happened, but I am much too young to be the mother of a freaking teenager! I remember turning 13 and thinking it was a milestone, so I wanted to make this birthday one she would remember. I hope it was everything she hoped it would be. Now, she's away at church camp, the first time she's ever been away from home for more than a couple of days. I'm excited for her beause I never got to go to church camp. I know she'll have loads of fun. But to be honest, I'm enjoying the peace around here. No fighting, no attitudes, just quiet. Ahhhhhh... I think I'll go sit back and relax.

Live what?

So, the big Live Earth concert was this weekend. Big deal. I watched a little part of it, but I just couldn't get interested in it enough to stick around through the whole thing. Maybe because Al Gore had a part in it and he's not one of my favorite fellas. Maybe it's because I'm not all that interested in being "green". I don't mean to sound like an idiot here, but I don't think seeing celebrities encouraging people to recycle, car pool, etc. is going to change the world. I have a very hard time taking the word of a millionaire, in some cases multi-millionaires. Like any of these people are going to car pool. I mean really, do you think Jon Bon Jovi will pick up old Al, and P Diddy, or Madonna, and Alicia Keys, or Melissa Etheridge and car pool in his limo to some event? Nope, don't think so! Nor do I believe that these people have energy efficient vehicles, homes maybe, but what about their private planes? It just seems hypocritical to me.

I remember a little concert to stop hunger. It was called Live Aid. I remember being engergized to do something to end hunger. I remember the desire to end hunger resounding through entire nations. I remember seeing on television the starving people being given sacks of food. Maybe it's the imminent threat of death from hunger that spurred people into action. I don't see an imminent threat of death in this case of gloabal warming. Yes, I know that over time the ice caps are melting and chemicals are escaping into the atmosphere changing our weather cycles, and yes I would like to do something about it. But I am selfish and spoiled, so I will continue to drive my BMW (Big Momma Wagon) Pathfinder SUV that gets abysmal gas mileage because I love it. Maybe when all the additions and renovations are done on my house, I can get myself together and have a recycling bin. I would like to leave the earth a better place for my children and their children.

Liberty

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome;
her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!"
cries she With silent lips.
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"


These words are engraved on the base of a beautiful monument celebrating the gift of friendship and the blessings of liberty. This lady has long been a welcoming beacon to the world, inviting the impoverished, the persecuted to a land of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. "Other lands," wrote the Polish emigrae; Henry Sienkiewicz, "grant only asylum; this land recognizes the immigrant as a son and grants him rights." When they were "sickened at last of poverty, bigotry and kings," wrote another immigrant, "there was always America!"



Why have we replaced this sentiment for a mentality of exclusion, isolation, arrogance, and hostility to the alien? Why will we gorge ourselves on hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, potato salad and the like while there are those among us who will go hungry? Why will we shoot fireworks and wave our flags while there are those in wartorn nations hiding from the sounds of gunfire and threats of violence?

Yes, I am proud to be an American and yes I thank God daily for the blessing of living in a free society. But, I am equally appalled by our behaviors. We have let innocent people die in genocides, from disease, and hunger. We are intolerant and belligerent towards people trying to better themselves in a free country full of opportunity. And we are quick to violence and slow to negotiate.

I will pray God's continued blessings upon this nation and her people. May we embrace the tired, the poor, the homeless, and the alien as our brother or sister and assist them in seizing all the opportunities available.