WOW!

Just popped back into my hotel room after sitting on a beautiful white sand beach. Am in Clearwater, FL for a conference this week. While I have missed my family dreadfully, I am appreciating this time away to re-energize, to recharge to restore my being with the sounds of the ocean. This week, I've been realizing how much growing up close to the beach fed my soul...helped make me who I am. Helped shape my awe at the God we love and strive to serve. Two nights ago, I bobbed in the waves at sunset and just revelled in all that we've been given. You HAVE to know there is a loving God, Universal Designer...One after our own hearts, Giver of life and this Earth. How could you walk through even a small bit of this world and not? Think about it...

• He could have made the sun just revolve around the Earth, night into day, day into night--with NO fanfare, no spectacle, no brilliant shades of pink & blue.
• He could have made evergreens and said "This is a TREE" and it could have been the only kind of tree--no oaks, no maples, no elms, no dogwoods bursting into bloom.
• He could have made daisies and said "These are FLOWERS." No fragrant roses, no lilacs, no lavender. Or maybe made only one color of each....
• He could have made dachshunds and said "This is DOG."

Get my point? Which is that HE DIDN'T. He made our world in wondrous variety, amazing species, sights and features, and then populated our world with an amazingly similar variety of people.
WOW! How cool is that???
Thank you, God for the wonder that is the world around us. For the endless variety of all that dwells here with us...

Six Word Memoir

So...the pressure...the pressure! Shasta tagged me to come up with a memoir title in 6 words. I came up with a few options:

• FAMILY always means I LOVE YOU.
• Unexpected Blessings Come in All Sizes!
• Family Adventures, Each and Every Day
• Growing-Up Weird but Faithful and Strong (hyphenating growing up might be cheating...)
• Just Trying to Make Some Lemonade

I'd imagine there are others...but this will have to do for now! Check out Shasta's blog for hers. (Which, by the way, I find EVER so much more creative than mine!)

Here's how it works:

1. Write the title to your own memoir using 6 words.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Link to the person that tagged you.
4. Tag five more blogs.

Sadly, I'm not sure I can tag 5 more blogs that haven't been tagged yet...but here are a couple three:

Only Wanted to Comment
Mom of 5 (Like me!)
Stephanie

This was interesting...and I have to admit that I've been mulling it over since I saw the post!

Have fun!

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.