Music as Inspiration

My favorite morning drive-time team on the radio (WGTS) was talking yesterday about songs that inspire us. Songs that spur us forward. Songs that change how we think. This whole week, too, they've been encouraging listeners to focus on God's healing in our lives. Both of those topics brought one song and one moment to mind...."Go Light Your World." I can't remember who wrote it originally, but I remember the moment I first heard the song...

It was 10 years ago.

We had just been told that our second child and first son was profoundly deaf, had cerebral palsy and may not survive to his 1st birthday. We were in the process of undergoing a lengthy series of genetic and metabolic testing to diagnose the root problem...it was grueling and things weren't looking very good. We were struggling with questions, longing for answers and oh so very weary.

I took a much needed weekend break and headed off to California to attend a Women of Faith Conference in Anaheim. Kathy Troccoli was the featured musician for the weekend. Such a talented performer!! Anyway, at one point during her afternoon concert, she asked the sign language interpreter to join her on the stage. Kathy sang that song with such heart. But it's the interpreter who did it for me. She was BEAUTIFUL, graceful and so powerfully evocative of the meaning of the song.

In those few moments of music, I realized that I had been feeling like an extinguished candle. That I had forgotten my flame. Lost my light. Forgotten that the fire inside comes from God. Forgotten that my flame should shine brighter in a storm. The song spoke to me...but the interpreter moved me. Moved me to think of the opportunities for Patrick rather than the losses. Moved me to CHOOSE laughter over sorrow. Moved me to look at his abilities and not his disabilities. Moved me to look forward to learning a new mode of communication rather than feeling cheated out of hearing "mommy" from this darling boy. Moved me to enjoy every day with him rather than counting down the days....

We celebrated his 10th birthday in November...and my *bonus featured* boy is an adventure at every turn. Did God miraculously heal him and make him like all the other kids? No. (But then again, I thank God each and every day that NONE of my kids are "normal!") Did He provide healing in ways that have doctors scratching their heads? You betcha! And for our family? well, I believe the best is yet to come....

YAY!

Finally finished my funny little attempt at a chipboard album. It's a departure for me from my usual scrap efforts...partly due to the format. Also due to the kinda self-indulgent theme. The idea came from the entertainment value and thought-provoking nature of notes in the Dove chocolate wrappers. Anyway...I had a good time creating this fun album. Take a peek at the slideshow to the right and tell me what you think!

AAARRRGGGHH

Okay...so I'm 183 pages into a *gripping* Patricia Cornwell novel...fairly new one, too!!...and I flip the page.

Next page doesn't make sense, so I double & triple check, thinking I've turned an extra page or two. Um, no. Instead of my page 184, I've got page 252.

Now, I'm not much for math, but I'm pretty sure that 252 DOES NOT come after 183. Pretty darned sure.

I've flipped through the rest of the book. Pages are still not there. *sigh*

So now it's after midnight, I'm missing pages, and so annoyed I can't sleep. AAARRGGGHHH. Maybe I can find the receipt and get a new copy.

Dontcha Love It

when you stumble upon something you love that you'd briefly forgotten??

Bits & pieces of an ee cummings poem that I love have been drifting in & out of my mind for a couple of days now. So, thanks to the wonder of google and the internet, I found the whole thing...and I love it more than I did before:

i thank You God for most this amazing day:
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural
which is infinite
which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun's birthday;
this is the birthday of life and love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing any-lifted from the noof all nothing-human merely being doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

___________________
WOW! Pretty cool, huh?

Random Factoid: ee cummings didn't capitalize many words...but always referred to God that way!

Mixing it Up

As I sit at my desk working on charts and graphs and formulas and even more formulas, I'm pondering my snack food of choice today. Which begs the question:

Have I mentioned that I really don't like those little toasty things in Chex Mix? LOVE the rest of the stuff, really I do. But I can't stand those round toasty things-white or rye! *sigh* I mean, who thought of those things in the first place??? Have you EVER seen loaves of bread that size that just needed to be sliced?? Are they rejects from the crouton factory? Refugees from the salad bar? What is the real name for them? Chex, I get. Pretzels I get. Cracker bar bits, I get. Weird mini-toasts...from where?? Suggestions for a better name?

And WHY do I feel compelled, as a full-grown adult, to eat them rather than picking them out of my handful? Isn't semi-picky eating a perk of adulthood? But NO...rules oriented mommy that I am, I can't bring myself to just toss 'em. I'd save them and give 'em to someone who likes them, but I've never met such a person. Apparently their sole purpose in life is being the snack food alarm in Chex Mix. Chew one of those babies and EVERY one knows you're snacking. Three cubbies away, they can hear me chomping on my mid-afternoon snack. Have you ever tried chewing them quietly? And I'm sure my dentist has a love-hate relationship with this particular snack food! ;-)

I feel better now that I have that off my chest.