Walking on Water

How do you suppose Peter felt as he climbed over the edge of the fishing boat and sunk his toes into the Sea of Galilee? With his eyes on Jesus, one foot sloshing in front of the other, the water providing a strange and cold pressure he had never before experienced, Peter made his way across the sea. Slowly and steadily, he balanced above the churning waters.

I close my eyes and see through Peter's eyes. I imagine my own feet taking those steps, halting yet sure, keeping my mind focused on the one ahead. Not looking to the left or right, but only ahead at Jesus. Fleetingly, my mind considers the water and wind, but I immediately refocus and think only this: "Jesus."

Through the tough moments that life has brought lately, I literally picture myself in Peter's shoes. Mustering all the faith I have, I walk. My knees are wobbly, but I set my eyes like flint on the One ahead. And guess, what? It helps! I'm reliving Peter's footsteps over and over.

Unanswered prayer? a tiny Splish.
Circumstances that threaten to drown me? a bitty Splash.
My toes are cold, but my feet are firm.

And then, yesterday came. Like Peter, I noticed the wind! One foot slipped down into the sea, the next one to his calf. In desperation, he cried out to Jesus: "Save me!" And I cry out too.

We all know the end of the story. Jesus reached out to save Peter and he is reaching out to save me. I, like Peter, will end up in the boat, WORSHIPPING Him and saying "Truly you are the son of God." (Luke 14:33)

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

Halloween at the Hospital

Well, we had planned to spend Halloween afternoon at Granny's house. Instead we spent it at the hospital, because that's where Granny is right now.

I took all 6 kids (my 3 and my sister's 3) up to see her.

She hadn't slept all night, had her right leg in traction, and acted as though she was delighted to see everyone. She kept asking me if I needed anything. Like a snack or drink. In a hospital bed in traction, and still trying to serve others.

There were other relatives there besides us, so it seemed like a party. We were all crammed in the room, but it didn't seem weird, because we pack ourselves in her house like that too.

As everyone was talking and visiting, I went to granny's bed and took her hand. As I started massaging her arm lightly, I decided to sing "How Great Thou Art." It's a good thing she can't hear too well, because I can't sing too well. But I looked at her and saw she had her eyes closed as though she was relaxed and peaceful.

I love that woman beyond words.

Two kids cried upon sight of granny in that bed, and that was my Ellie and Luke. They both tried to hold it back, but seeing her like that I imagine was hard for all of us.

Tomorrow she will have surgery to place a steel rod in her leg and fix her "Halloween trick" as she calls it. She has the faith that her Lord will carry her through. Our prayers could only serve to support her even more.

A Pain Full Day

First.... Luke was playing on the school playground was stung twice by a wasp or other awful insect. Yes, again. He was stung on the hand and the ear and his ear swelled up like a red water balloon.

Second.... Kami had her 12 year old checkup and was required to have two shots. Let's just say she was not a happy to be 12 today. At ALL.

Third.... Ellie cried herself to sleep for 20 minutes in fear of being stung by a wasp and/or having to get her 12 year old shots.

As I tucked Luke in bed, he bemoaned, "it's been a Pain FULL day."

I just had to chuckle.

For another painful day, click here... (one of my Darling former students)

A Little Lesson Involving a Thumb and a Hammer and a Deep Thinking Daughter

I have always been a bit accident prone (read: clumsy).

It seems to come in waves, though and I am definitely admist one of those waves.

A couple of weeks ago, I fell down a flight of stairs. Now mind you, I have tripped down some stairs before, but I have never fallen down a complete flight of stairs, headfirst and totally at the mercy of God. I ended up with no major breaks or injuries, though bruised up on my right side from head to toe and feeling like I had been in a car wreck.

Yesterday, I decided to take charge and hammer up some nails in the garage. It wasn't long before I mistook my thumb for the nail head and POP, there went my thumb. It spun me into a bad mood on a beautiful day because my thumb was throbbing like crazy. I kept complaining about it to Kami, who was helping me with all the Easter preparations..... (Easter at our house today!)

And she gave me a good something to think about.

Mom, if your thumb hurts that bad, imagine what Jesus must have felt with nails through his wrists.

Oh yeah. Good point.

I quit whining about my thumb and praised God that Jesus "who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Happy Easter Everyone!

More Luke

The boy is on a roll.

Remember in August when he stepped on a red ant hill on our trip to the bat cave? The ants crawled up his legs and bit him a couple times?

Then a couple weeks later, he was stung 5 times on the 2nd day of school by yellow jackets?

There seems to be something about the stinging, biting, sticking thing that has a strange attraction to him.... (but things happen in threes, they say, so this pattern is OVER!)

....we couldn't escape October without another incident. Tonight at soccer practice, he fell down (he does a lot of flipping and rolling on the ground) and he fell directly into a thick sticker burr patch. Luckily, Tom was at practice and ran right over to him where he was wailing on the ground. There were more than 15 sticker burrs jabbed into one hand and 5-7 on the other, (according to Tom who seriously NEVER exaggerates) and his shorts and socks were totally covered. Tom just stripped him out of his clothes right there while he cried pitifully. The sticker burrs were stuck in his skin all over, and when he pulled them out, many of the stickers just broke off and left a sticker in his skin that we had to extract later. Talk about miserable. Those things hurt and toughness was not exactly his theme tonight. He reeled over the disturbing incident for several hours. It even wore Tom out -he went to bed early.... and here I am blogging about it! I guess sleep is his therapy, while blogging is mine!

The poor kid ranked the pain of his 3 incidents for us. In order from least painful to most painful...

1) ant bites
2) sticker burrs
3) YELLOW JACKET STINGS!!!

One more Luke note:

On Tuesday, he came home and said he'd had a "rough day" at school. Only one out of five on his behavior chart, and by the way, Mom, I got one for pushing a friend out of line "because he was cutting in front of Ethan. I just had to make it right." Ok, pushing is not good, but at least it was not hitting or biting, and like a tiny superhero, he was righting the wrongs of the world.

So, on Wednesday, I picked him up from school and asked the teacher if today was a better day, since Luke had told me himself (so proud of him) about the day before and how it was not his best day ever.

Completely serious, she reported, "Oh yes, it was a much better day today. Luke did not body slam anyone today." So, I guess he didn't exactly tell me the entire truth about his little heroic episode yesterday. Apparently, he was the villain!

You moms of boys have to forgive me... I'm sure this stuff is old news to you.... but with my 2 oldest being girls, every day is a shocking and thrilling adventure. However, I wouldn't have it any other way!!! We are blessed beyond measure with this rough and tumble little boy.

Stung

The beginning of school is always a time that teeters precariously between a feeling of blossoming excitement and a feeling of distressed unsettlement.

Tell me, how do two such opposite and intense emotions simultaneouly exist within me?

My warring thoughts:

We're starting a new year!
New friends!
New teachers!
They're growing up.
I'm going to miss him.
I can't believe he's in school full day!
Freedom!!!
Freedom!!!
I'm going to get so much done!
He might be miserable.
5th GRADE?????!!!!!
What if she's not placed in the right class?
She'll make new friends.
She'll make her way.
God will work it out.

I'm positive I'm not the only one who does this. I'm just a momma bear watching out for my children. Checking. Double checking. Hurting. Feeling Joy. Praying. Asking. Inquiring. Thinking. Conferencing. Taking note. Praying. Believing.

So, yesterday was the first day of school. Emotions were running high. But the day was great. All was well.

And then came today. Even though he is the Duke of Rough and Tough, he is also the King of High Emotions, so I went by the school at lunch to check on him.

He grabbed me with his grubby, warm hands and said in a tight voice, "momma, take me home. I need to go home with you."

Ow. I felt stung. He doesn't want to go home; he needs to go home!

But I tipped his chin with encouragement and walked away. He can do it, I told myself.

Ten minutes later, I received a call on my cell phone: the school nurse. The news? Luke was on the playground and was stung by a wasp or yellow jacket. Not once. Not twice. Not three times or four. FIVE TIMES he was stung!!!

Your son needs you. Please come and get him. Feeling stung again, I did just that. I found him in the nurse's office, red faced and puffy, a desperate look in his Rough and Tough eyes. He was scared and had big welts on his shoulder, chest, hand and thigh.

But he was OK. It's just hard for a momma bear not to be there to protect her littlest cub.

"A Really Bad Scratch"

That's how Ellie classified her shiner that she got from slipping and falling on the ice on Monday. On Tuesday, her eye, of course, looked worse. However, she stayed positive and commented, "it only hurts when I blink." What a tough girl!

Ouch

That hurt. We just got back from the ORU/TU basketball game where we got clobbered. Don't know the final score, but it was ugly. The experience wasn't as horrible as it has been in past years when the fans literally harrassed us. They were for the most part, just excited fans, not rude or classless. But losing like that just STUNK. It is painful to watch the players so dejected and look at my husband on the bench, knowing he is feeling so terrible.

However, as I tried to explain to Kami, this is the life of a basketball family. You can't get too high (when you beat Kansas) or too low (when you get hammered by TU). Winning and losing goes with the territory. It's hard for a competitive 8 year old to understand that (heck - it's hard for me to keep it in perspective at times,) but we are learning with each basketball season, and we continue to walk in faith believing that HE rules the earth and everything that goes on inside of it. "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever"