myletterstoemily

things that are hard for me to do:

2012-02-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

1. eating my vegetables.

2. putting someone else's needs before my own.

3. forcing my 53 year old foot into a ski boot.

4. looking away from the window when snow
flakes are falling.

5. praying . . . fervently.

6. blowing my nose with my glasses on.

7. learning a new trick.

8. withstanding the temptation to compare myself
with my friend who still runs marathons.

amen.

"to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to
present you before His glorious presence without
blame and with great joy . . . " jude 24

i was fired by merry maids

2012-01-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i know. embarrassing, but, please hear my side.

i was the young mother of five active kids. my loving husband
had built me a house that was too big for me to handle.

the meals and laundry weren't too bad. i managed to get my kids
to their basketball practices, ballet recitals, and piano lessons and
enjoy some mcdonald's french fries on the way. i was only
homeschooling two kids by then . . . but the house was killing
me.

after a while, too long really, in desperation, i called merry maids,
who made my kitchen and bathrooms sparkle. as the ~~angels~~ ladies
were limping out the door, spraying some amazing scent out of a
squirt bottle, i threw myself at the last one and grabbed her ankle,
crying, "please don't leave me here by myself!"

the next morning i had a notification in my mailbox saying the
merry maids would no longer be able to help me.

sheesh. i felt like a desperate housewife.

love,
lea

"do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people
have entertained angels . . . " hebrews 13:2

i don't like to cook

2012-01-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

my middle daughter and i are completely hooked on the show
'breaking bad.' i know i should be ashamed because of the bad
language and adult situations, but the characters and plot are
just so good.

in the drama, walter, the high school chemistry teacher, discovers
he has a gift for 'cooking' which is a gift i do not have. i'm a
terrible cook. the aforementioned daughter thinks it's because i
just don't like to do it.

something else i don't like is to answer this question, "did you
cook this?" it feels like a loaded one. the implication being "did
you buy this and try to trick us into thinking you actually made it?"
or "if you cooked it, i would rather have a peanut butter sandwich,
please."

i would prefer to be asked for the recipe. if i didn't make it, i will
happily refer my guest to the caterer. if i did make it, it would
thrill the socks off me.

"you want my recipe?"

love,
lea

"i have food to eat that you know nothing about." john 4:32

january 12th, 2012

2012-01-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

today is my beloved father in law's 89th birthday. he is probably
soaring around the Throne with the heavenly angels who escorted
him there early tuesday morning. i don't know if he will have a
birthday cake but suspect there will be a banquet.

a dear friend told me that his ferocious eyebrows always scared
her. he could be terrifying, but beneath those brows was a sweet
gentleness for those of us 'meeces' like pixie and dixie. in the 36
years that i knew and loved him, he was completely encouraging
and loving.

my husband worked beside him for 30 of those years and enjoyed
the most companionable of relationships. i pray that the Lord will
fill that office space with His own presence now.

my wise daughter exhorted her four uncles to fill those empty
shoes and be the protection and love she had cherished from her
grandfather. big shoes.

they will do it.

love,
lea

did you feel the mountains tremble?

2011-11-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

in this advent season i pray that my heart will be expectant for His
coming and prepared to stand before Him. i worry that when i
remember Him as a baby, i forget that those who have seen Him
since His resurrection could not stand before Him. He was a baby
who we cherish and sing songs about, but He is not now One.

"it is very remarkable that we face the thought that God is coming,
so calmly, whereas previously peoples trembled at the day of God."
(dietrich bonhoeffer)

since our earthquake a few weeks ago, i feel the trembling of after
shocks throughout the day. it is quite unsettling, and i have begun
keeping a glass of water beside my bed to see if my imagination is
acting up or the earth shaking. they are a new reality for me, and i
realize i have taken the past stillness of my foundation for granted.

"only when we have felt the terror of the matter, can we recognize
the incomparable kindness. God comes into the very midst of evil
and death, and judges the evil in us and in the world. . . God cleanses
and sanctifies us, comes to us with grace and love."
(bonhoeffer)

the sweet little Jesus boy is deeply rooted in my heart, and i adore
Him, but how do i rightly worship Him as King of Kings at the same
time? it takes a miracle, and i believe in them.

love,
lea

2011-11-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

saved by the carol (repost)

dear emily,

hans and the boys have teased me a lot through the years, because i
don't really understand sports. all i have ever known is music and
literature. imagine my delight at receiving this clandestine phone
call.

"mom?" one of my sons was on the other line and i could barely hear
him.

"honey, are you ok?"

"mom, i don't have much time and may have to hang up on you."

" are you in trouble?"

"how do you finish this line, 'angels we have heard...'?" whispered my son.

" 'on high'...but"

"awesome! now how about, 'o little town of bethlehem...'?"

" 'how still we see thee lie! ' what is going on?" i was beginning to get a
little frustrated.

"sweet! what comes after this? 'angels from the realms of glory'?"

"'wing your flight o'er all the earth'... do you need me to call the
police?"

"oh no, i gotta hang up! stay by the phone!" now i had visions of
kidnappers with my precious son wrapped up in duct tape.

thankfully the phone rang again.

"mom?"

"oh honey, are you hurt? where are you?"

"no worries, mom. mr. mccoy was just walking by and i didn't want
him to see me on the phone."

"what????"

"just fill in this line: 'what child is this?...' "

"'who laid to rest on mary's lap is sleeping' will you please tell me
what is going on?"

"thanks, mom! you're a life saver! i told my buddies that no one
knew more Christmas songs than you!"

dial tone...

turns out his physics teacher gave the class a bonus pre-Christmas
test, that i helped them cheat their way through. a better mom
would have made them 'fess up, but i was just so proud...

...that my superior knowledge of Chrismas carols won the game!

love,
lea

"in those days caesar augustus issued a decree that a census

should be taken of the entire roman world. this was the first

census that took place while quirinius was the governor of syria.

and everyone went to his own town to register. so joseph, also,

went up from the town of nazareth to bethlehem, the town of

david, because he belonged to the house and the line of david.

he went there with mary who was pledged to be married to him

and was expecting a child." luke 2: 1-5)

bullies

2011-11-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

once a week i have lunch with a precious third grader in one of
our city's at risk neighborhoods. i used to say that i was her
mentor, but it's really the other way around.

i have learned so much from her eagerness to learn and express
herself artistically. she recently won a poster contest to protest
bullying. her sunny disposition shone all over it with "love",
"peace," and "kindness" in big letters. it reminded me of the
fruit of the Spirit.

bullies have been my nemesis, as i seem to attract them like bees
to honey. people, thankfully not my husband, just want to boss
me around. recently i have wondered whether a bully knows he
is a bully. is it possible that some obscure their boldness with
good intentions?

some may think they need to exert pressure on me, because i am too
wishy-washy. if they didn't push me, i might never accomplish
anything. i just need someone to help me pull my head out of the
sand and 'take a stand.'

when these well meaning 'pushers' apply force to me, i either dig in
my heels or cave in. the next time it happens, i resolve to say, "you
are pressuring me, or it feels like you are bullying me." i think they
will be shocked, because they don't realize what they are doing.

i know i will be shocked, if i really have the courage to stand up
for myself.

love,
lea

"but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
galatians 5:22, 23

expectations

2011-11-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

do you remember laboring through dickens' great expectations in
the ninth grade? honestly, the title threw me off. after all, i had
heard great things about the author and had pretty big expectations.
i was terribly disappointed. i think i enjoyed laboring through my
childrens' births more.

"barkis is willing," is one of my favorite lines, but few know to
what i am referring when i quote it. i sympathized with him, as
we both had such great expectations. i can't remember if clara ever
married him, but it would make me feel better to know that one of
us had a happy moment in the story.

google image

on the other hand, i was completely mesmerized by a tale of two
cities. was it my low expectations or a fine book that brought
me such pleasure? since "occupy wall street" has taken over so
many of our city parks, i have wondered if guillotines will be
added to the venue. the guillotine was a huge character in the
tale, but i digress.

back to expectations: if i expect my husband to "clean" the
kitchen after dinner, i will certainly be disappointed, as there
will be a sinkful of dishes and crumbs all over the counters. have
you noticed that "sinkful"and "sinful" are practically the same
word?

if, however, i do not expect my husband to clean the kitchen, i
will be happily surprised to enjoy his company pattering along
while i clean. he will bring me dishes from the table and put them
in the sink, saving me many steps.

not expecting,
lea

"for i have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
philippians 4:11

out, out, #@^%! spot!

2011-11-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

you are much too young to have to deal with this minor irritation,
but i am plagued by a few pesky brown spots on my cheeks. it
is my own fault, of course, for basking in the sun as a foolish
young sun worshipper.

i can assure you that all the commercials extolling their miraculous
potions are fictitious. they don't work. in the past, i have resorted
to camouflage, which doesn't really work either. sigh.

then it dawned on me that the spots were located exactly where i
would like to have sculpted cheekbones. so i applied brown
shading on top of the spots just under my cheekbones and voila'!

hee hee!

even though my spots are here to stay, they serve a purpose by
reminding me of the blemishes on my heart. i try to hide those,
too, but it's far better to expose them. "Lord, i said a terrible
thing today . . . "

love,
lea

"though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow." isaiah 1:18

who are you, really?

2011-11-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

when i refer to my blog friends, my kids roll their eyes and say,
"mom, those are not your real friends," as if they were imaginary
like the ones my daughter hailey used to have (sarah and ashley.)
i understand that they are not real to them like the friends who
come in and out of my house and have been seen by my children.

sometimes i make the mistake of trying to explain, "no, they are
real. see this one sent me a gift."

"mom, are you saying she's your friend because she gave you a
present?" then i just give up. but i began to wonder, "what if
none of you are who you pretend to be?"

what if, instead of a frumpy middle aged woman, i am really an
NBA star worried about not having a basketball season?

i do not play for the lakers.

love,
lea

"i no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know
his master's business. instead, i have called you friends . . . "
john 15:15

how do you teach your children to be thankful?

2011-10-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

it was such a thrill to have your five beautiful children this
weekend! they are kind, respectful, thankful, affectionate,
and joyful. you are such a loving mommy and have given us the
gift of loving your little ones.

how have you taught your children to be thankful when they have
so much? their tummies are full of nutritious food, their bodies are
clothed with warm garments, and their hearts are fed with faith,
hope, and love.

most moms admonish their little ones to say, "thank you", which is
a great start, but there is something more we can do that does not
require a bit of coaching. it's easy as pie, tastes just as yummy, and
you are already good at it.

we can be grateful and express it to the fullest. when little max
sees his mommy say "thank you" to the grocery clerk, bankteller,
and milkman (yes, i have a milkman!), little max will pick up the
habit, too.

on the other hand, if little max sees mommy complaining all day
about the terrible service she gets everywhere she goes, he will
pick up that habit even more quickly. they do what we do more
than what we tell them to do.

i am thankful that my friend meg sent me this cute little zombie
she knit by hand. she is so creative, and i'm always begging her
to make more of these ornery things . . . wait, he's about to knock
the lid off of my coffee pot!

love,
lea

ps. "thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 cor. 9:15

tricking halloween

2011-10-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

even though i love scary movies, i've never been a fan of
halloween. one of the many inconsistencies in my life. my kids
love to dress up and enjoy the holiday to the fullest now that they
are grown up and make their own decisions.

does that make me sad? not really. it would break my heart if
they chose to turn their backs on the Lord, not if they want to
have some silly fun. i've been invited to a party myself and
plan to not wear any make-up. that should scare everybody!

i will rebel by playing Christmas music all day on halloween.
this year i even have some norwegian Christmas cookies made
by my favorite norwegian, sonja. look how adorably she
painted the can in which she sent them!

see janette and sonja's unhappy faces? their beloved UT lost to my
oklahoma sooners. janette posed in an OU jersey, but sonja opted
to make me cookies. both were women of their word and made me
very happy!

yum!!!!!

love,
lea

ps. "let your 'yes' be 'yes', and your 'no' be 'no.'" matthew 5:37

to dress or not to dress

2011-10-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

my son isaac returned from visiting his grandfather in the
hospital with a funny story. we need all the laughs we can get,
and i bet you do, too.

isaac was wearing a lovely checked, buttoned down, and tucked
in shirt, straight from church. his grandmother did not think he
was dressed up enough, however. she has been putting on hose,
high heels and a beautiful suit every sunday for eight weeks . . .
then marching up to the ICU to sit with her beloved husband.

she said, "my mother always taught me that you must dress up
for church, because even if you don't go to church, people will
see you and think you did . . . and that will make them feel bad."

hee hee!

love,
lea

"therefore i tell you, do not worry about your life, . . . what you
will wear. is not life more important then food, and the body
more important than clothes?" matthew 6:25

and now a word from our sponsor

2011-10-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

a year ago my friend patricia shared a definition for being offended:
the bright light hurts. another friend and i were then talking about
how much angrier we get when our loved ones have been treated
harshly than when we are treated that way.

we're taking up an offense on their behalf, shining a bright light on
behavior we find reprehensible. and you know who that hurts? us.

when i was a little girl, my grandmother used to love her 'stories'
which were really soap operas. i thought they were silly, but
occasionally i would get drawn in when a pretty lady would shout
at a handsome man for something i didn't understand. right then at
the most interesting part, the program would transition to a boring
commercial, and a voice would say, "and now a word from our
sponsor."

sometimes my family has felt like that soap opera, pretty woman
yelling at handsome man. :) when i was terribly discouraged,
then i would hear a word from my Sponsor, "He who began a
good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus." philippians 1:6

love,
lea

ps. this is an edited post from a couple of years ago.

the sooner nation

2011-10-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

thank you, sonja and janette, for having a little fun with our great

football game. i can't think of a bigger competition, maybe ohio

state and michigan, or the presidential election!

janette has shared an inspiring story about her love for UT, and

she has the temerity to ask, "what is a sooner anyway?" i'm glad

she asked.

'sooners' is the name given to the settlers who entered the midwest

in the unassigned territory of oklahoma before the indian appro-

priations act of 1989. they were denied the right to claim the land

on which they settled, because they cheated by sneaking in early.

many 'sooners' eventually became US marshals, which is ironic

considering they had broken the law themselves. my husband's

great grandfather was one of those US marshals, which explains

some of my husband's own tendencies.

the 'sooner nation' is exemplified by our colorful, rambunctious,

victorious behavior on the football field. we occasionally sneak

into the end zone.

class dismissed,

lea

"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." romans 3:23

boomer!

2011-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

dear janette and sonja,

i never enjoyed football until i had honest to goodness
texan friends. so here is my challenge to you:

if texas gets closer than this:

OU 37
TEXAS 21

i will send you each some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

if texas wins (which ain't gonna' happen,)
i will post a picture of myself wearing a
longhorn t shirt and some chaps. i may
even get on a horse or something.

Now, what are you ladies willing to do when OU wins?

love,
lea

"seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually."
1 chronicles 16:11

that's a lie!

2011-10-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

as i was sitting beside my father in law's hospital bed, i found a
copy of the "new yorker" magazine. before i ever read those, i
thumb through to see the hilarious cartoons. the first one i saw
depicted a "blog pie chart."

google image

i was a little downcast, because i knew just what third i fit in. i
don't sell anything, and even though i love the movie, conspiracy
theory, i'm not into writing about them. my stories clearly fall into
the first group . . . boring, boring, boring.

so i decided to shut down the old blog, but then i read a couple of
the blogs i love. each one shared an inspiring story that burrowed
into my heart.

why in the world did i let the new yorker influence me in even the
smallest way? i only read it once every ten years or so. and why
do i still, at 53, care what other people say? when am i going to
grow up? who cares if i'm boring?

boring is the new black.

love,
lea

"we do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who
commend themselves. when they measure themselves by them-
selves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not
wise." 2 corinthians 10:12

broken windows

2011-09-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

my father in law has a gorgeous bathroom/dressing room. his
walls are decorated with gigantic photos of my mother in law
from her movie star days and floor to ceiling mirrors. no one,
especially grandchildren have been allowed to step onto the
thick, black carpet or into the shrine unless escorted by their
grandfather.

the top of his lovely teak dressing table is graced by favorite
memorabilia like dozens of tiny screwdrivers and caterpillar
tractors. i used to sneak peaks at the incredible order and beauty
of this special place until a few days ago when one of the giant
mirrors fell from the wall and crashed upon everything.

it reminded me of the 'broken windows' theory coined by james
q.wilson and george kelling. they believe that crime is attracted
by disorder. if a neighborhood tolerates panhandling, graffiti,
or broken windows, then worse behavior follows. one broken
window calls out to another. on the other hand, if a neighbor-
hood vigilantly watches over its borders and keeps things orderly,
crime goes elsewhere. (the tipping point, malcom gladwell)

can you believe the broken mirror occurred three weeks after he
broke his hip? he has been fighting for his health for six weeks
now, but the hip is mending nicely. we don't want his other limbs
getting any 'broken window' ideas!

love,
lea

ps. my friend sandra from thistle cove farms, recently reminded
me of a beloved verse: "see, I have engraved you on the palms
of my hands; your walls are ever before me." isaiah 49:16

first baby

2011-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

when our first baby boy was born, my mom gave me some oscar
de la renta lotion. i remember thinking, "now he will know i'm
his mommy, because i will always smell like this." i wasn't
allowed to nurse him or hold him.

the NICU nurse told us we must not even touch him, as it could
agitate him and deflate his lungs again. my heart broke as i stood
beside his pathetic little body, arms and legs splayed out, purple
chest sinking to the mattress, tubes connected in too many places.

i couldn't imagine that his tiny hand holding my baby finger might
upset him; so i disobeyed. all day long, every day for 12 days, i
stood with my back to the nurses and my finger in his hand. my
whole life was in that precious hand.

by the 12th day his lungs had strengthened, and a nurse informed
us that they had been slowly reducing his sedative. she could tell
he was more alert, because he grasped her finger for the first
time. :)

"now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what
we do not see." hebrews 11:1

that baby boy is the big guy on the right!

love,
lea

2011-09-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

i used to think the best preparation to being a good mother was
a math/science degree or even an elementary education one. a
nursing degree would have helped tremendously, too!

google image

but now, after watching the mom scene from 'ocean's twelve', i've
changed my mind.

imagine if before having those little urchins, you had been a CIA
agent or a county sheriff? before asking, "who took a bite out of
your dad's birthday cake?", you would already know the culprit!
you could read all their 'tells' and know how to call the bluffs.

say one of the rugrats decides he doesn't want to pick up his toys
or go to bed, you could say in your robert deniro voice, "how
would you like me to haul your skinny little self down to the
county jail?"

think how easy it would be to get their finger prints? they are all
over the place.

love,
lea

ps. "evil men do not understand justice; but those who seek the
Lord understand it fully." proverbs 28:5

a firm foundation

2011-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

when i was a little girl my grandmother wore something called a
foundation. this undergarment made all her dresses smooth and
her figure lovely, but her breathing was labored. my mother's
generation wore girdles, a hideous name but a vast improvement
on the foundation. she could take deeper breaths.

google image

now the post virginia slims' generation wears spanx. i can only
hope that a man named them. any woman to think of such a
demeaning name should be spanked. there are dozens of more
suitable ones: slink, slimmer, shape, even the tried and true girdle
is more dignifying.

when i was in high school, i wore a 'refining' undergarment,
because i was petrified of jiggling. how much jiggle could a 110
pound girl generate? now when i accidentally catch a glimpse
of myself walking by a ~~horror movie~~ mirror, i can see my back
side wobble the opposite direction.

i should not be allowed to sing a favorite old hymn, "how firm a
foundation."

love,
lea

tell me a story

2011-08-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

there are few things i love more than a good story. don't give me
a bunch of dates and battles to memorize; tell me the story of a
great battle, and i will remember every detail. please don't beat
me over the head with a lesson about repentance from the
pulpit; give me a story about it from someone's life, and i will
be moved to repentance myself.

Jesus was the greatest storyteller of all. He could have spent
all His time preaching and healing, but He seemed to love to
tell His story. who could forget the one about the sower and the
seed or the unmerciful servant? He reels us in about a poor
woman who loses her coin and then we understand how the
kingdom of heaven rejoices over a lost soul who is found.

the easiest way to reach the heart of a child is to tell him a story.
they can't resist a good one, and then their transparent, open
hearts soak in the goodness of the best ones. "the land of a rich
man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'what
shall i do, for i have nowhere to store my crops . . ."(luke 12:17)

you can read the rest of the story.

love,
lea

the prodigal's father

2011-08-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

hans was sharing with me his perspective of the prodigal son. it
was moving to understand the love the father demonstrated by
allowing his son to leave and then squander the fortune he had
worked a lifetime to share with him.

i guess, to a certain extent, every parent has to do that. we birth
these precious babies, nurture them, and teach them everything
that is important to us.

then they decide what is important to them.

sometimes it feels like they are trampling on our hearts, but usually
it is just their stomping around the corral, hoping to jump the fence
and run their own race.

letting them go is an act of love as surely as rocking them to sleep
was. believing that they are in the "palm of His hand," is an act
of faith. rejoicing in the meantime is proof of my faith.

love,
lea

"though the fig tree does not bud and
there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

yet i will rejoice in the Lord,
i will be joyful in God my Savior."
habakkuk 3: 17-18

ps. this is a repost from this time last year.

i read like most men

2011-07-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

as i was enjoying the company of my extended family, we began

discussing the books we were reading. to my dismay but not

surprise, i didn't care much about the books the ladies were

reading. i can't name a single nicholas sparks' character.

the men, however, were reading all my favorite living authors.

we were soon debating which hollywood actor could possibly

fill the shoes of mitch rapp, vince flynn's action hero. daniel

craig was my favorite, brad pitt being too feminine, george

clooney too not sean connery, and liam neeson a little too big.

while we were extolling the amazing feats of mitch rapp, i was

secretly thinking about jack reacher, lee child's giant hearted and

sized protagonist. liam neeson, of course!

i have learned a great deal from jack reacher. as my family was
elevating the eiffel tower, i whispered the "12 ways to identify a
terrorist." i also know now that it is better to "say nothing," and
if you have to fight more than one bad guy at a time, "identify the
ringleader, the one who does all the talking. hit him first and
hard. the others will think twice."

if you're worried that i am fantasizing about a fictional hero, you

are dead wrong. i want to BE him.

what did you say???

love,

lea

"be strong and courageous. do not be terrified; do not be

discouraged, for the Lord thy God is with you." joshua 1:9

light and shadow

2011-07-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

as i watch the dark shadows steal across the valley, i'm tempted
to assign them a malignant motive. their corresponding clouds
might 'rain on' my lupine trail hike. on the other hand, they could
bring sweet relief from the penetrating sun.

i can understand God as light but often struggle with the shadow
part.

do you remember baby jessica, the 18 month old who fell into
an eight inch well? she spent two days in that dark shaft, while
the rest of the world watched in horror. at one point her only
hope was from a man born without collar bones. his question
"why was i born like this?" was answered by a baby girl.

were his frameless shoulders light or shadow?

many turn from their Creator, because they cannot reconcile
tragedy with His sovereignty or mercy. why do bad things
happen to good people? i certainly don't know, because i wasn't
there when He "laid the earth's foundation. . . while the morning
stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy." (job 38)

i cringe and cower at life's dark moments but have found that
questioning the Lord's motives to be futile. that approach seems
childlike to philosophers and wise men, but from my baby eyes i
have seen and learned wondrous things. the shadows are often
my place of refuge. (psalm 91)

love,
lea

with what feature do you lead?

2011-06-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

i just finished tracy chevalier's remarkable creatures and found it
to be unremarkable but loved the perceptive introduction of her
characters. she maintains that ones leading feature reveals ones
dominant characteristic.

her protagonist, mary anning, "leads with her eyes. . . that are
button brown and bright, and have a fossil hunter's tendency to
look for something." her father enters with "his sharp, shapely
nose pinning her to the spot like a dart."

the heart breaker of the book, colonel birch, has such a thick,
wavy head of hair that he is always bowing to show it off. "i
have never trusted a man who leads with his hair."

i lead with the proverbial big toe, testing the temperature of the
water before i jump in.

when we were newlyweds, we had no idea how many children
we wanted. we took them one at a time and enjoyed them so
much, they just kept right on coming. we have been visiting a
rustic colorado mountain town for 25 years and cherish every
visit. my husband has asked me many times if i would like to
have a home there, but i have declined.

but, four or five years ago, i agreed . . . to a tiny condo on the
side of the mountain to just put in my big toe. it has been the
most joyful experience since having all those babies, so now we
have built a cabin on the top of a ridge, surrounded by the
mountains we love. i guess we have jumped in with both feet.

"how lovely on the mountains are the feet of them who bring
good news." isaiah 52:7

with what feature do you lead?

love,
lea

ps. this is an edited repost from one year ago.

in the trenches

2011-06-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

there has been no rain for 7 days, and my newly planted trees are
distressed from the sun and wind. since i have no outside water
source yet, i have been filling a bucket from the nearby pond and
lugging it to each tree. not a practical way to water, but it might
help my flabby arms.

this morning i dug tiny trenches from the stream to each tree. it
was lovely watching the water escape its boundary and become a
new tributary winding its way to my poor dry trees. also, once i
became good and muddy, i began to have more fun. my little dog
kept looking up at me as if to say, "does your mom know what
we're doing?"

love,
lea

"for I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.

they will will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams."
isaiah 44:3,4

time flies

2011-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

my very wise son, isaac, remarked recently that it's not just fun
stuff that makes time fly but activities that consume us. he was
using the illustration of taking a test that required all his
attention and realizing that four hours passed so quickly.

he wouldn't exactly call that test, 'fun', but the time sure flew.

today i scrubbed, made beds, and organized my home for hours,
but it sped by like minutes. the back of my hands are sore and
chafed, but i didn't even notice them when it happened.

i feel full, fat, and happy, but none if it was really 'fun'.

why do we seek 'fun' so desperately? it would be better to

search for good, hard work that yields satisfying results, i think. or better yet do what our Lord so beautifully urged, "seek first His kingdom and His

righteousness, and all these things will be added . . . " mt. 6:33

i always wanted to say "selah",
lea

in the bag

2011-06-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

i love to read what famous women carry in their purses, partly
for ideas to make my life more fabulous :) but mostly out of
curiosity.

katy perry's bag contains 'diva' nails, sunglasses, la mer face
cream (my favorite), and her own perfume, "katy perry."

jennifer aniston includes bobbi brown cheek tint, chanel lip
gloss, loreal nutrileum serum, and her own perfume, "jennifer
aniston."

hillary clinton carries chili flakes, a medical kit, and mineral
water mist. what? no "hillary clinton" perfume?

my favorite is helen mirren's . . . reading glasses and I.D. you
gotta' love her.

isn't it revealing, really, what we carry in our bags? mine
always contains socks for my frigid feet, lip gloss for my dry
lips, moisturizer for my dehydrated wrinkles, and a teeny bible
for my cold, hard heart. my father in law gave me 50 of these
25 years ago.

so, what's in your wallet?

love,
lea

"as water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."
proverbs 27:19

erasers and platitudes

2011-05-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

i admit that i have a long way to go in caring for this beautiful
part of God's earth, but as i drove past a hip boutique, i felt
steam hissing out of my ears.

"man should not make marks in the sand that the wind cannot
erase."

this is clearly an ecological statement meant to teach me a deep
lesson about my 'green' footprint, but my first thought was,
"well that looks ugly. i wish the wind could erase it."

the wind would have a hard time blowing over this tree that WE planted.

second thought: "man should try to express his deepest thoughts
in the positive."

my final thought: "a man who is living in a grass hut in the jungle
has more of a right to say that to me. his own footprint can
easily be erased by the wind. BUT, the owner of a glass fronted,
brick sided store does not."

only one of our famous tornadoes could erase that footprint.

can you tell i skipped breakfast? my mom told hans, "my only
advice is that you make sure she eats enough and gets lots of
sleep, or she turns into a bear."

grrrr,
lea

"the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of
eden to work it and take care of it." genesis 2:15

guess who's coming to dinner?

2011-05-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

unlike some of my stories, this one is 100% true and kind of funny.

saturday was a a gorgeous evening for a garden party at our local
museum. the lovely ladies were bedecked in their pretty frocks
and skyscraper heels. the men wore seersucker suits and dirty
bucks. some were over-enjoying their cocktails, but that's not
part of this story.

the tables were extravagantly decorated with every shade of
purple flower, from the palest lilac to the deepest magenta lilies.
we were surprised to see two strangers seated at our table, but
found them delightful.

two days later, i received an exquisite bouquet of flowers from
the museum director with a note apologizing for the disappointing
evening. ??? i couldn't, for the life of me, understand what he
meant, as the garden party had been perfect. later, i discovered
that our dinner guests had been party crashers, which hit my funny
bone.

you might think they got a free meal, but really they paid a high
price; they had to talk to us all evening.

love,
lea

ps. "do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing
so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing
it." hebrews 13:2

crumbs from the table

2011-05-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

i would do many things differently, if i had the chance, but there is
one i would love to do over and over again.

when my children were 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, i heard about a great
preacher who was to speak at the local Christian university. as
i always wanted to expose the kids to inspiring men and women,
i purposed to take them.

unfortunately, as we slipped behind the 12 foot high doors of the
chapel, an usher whispered that the service was reserved for the
college students. crushed, i remembered the canaanite woman
who begged help for her daughter.

Jesus told her that he "was sent only to the lost sheep of israel. . .
it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
(matthew 15: 24, 26)

her reply resounded in my ears, "yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat
the crumbs that fall from their master's table." (mt. 15:27) with
renewed courage, i heard myself say, "we won't take a seat from
any student but will just stand in the back."

the preacher was as anointed and full of God's power as any i
have ever heard. as he closed his sermon, he looked to the back
of the auditorium and asked, "are those children back there?" for
a moment i was afraid that we would be scolded, but instead, he
said, "bring them up here, so i may pray for them."

pretty sweet crumbs.

love,
lea

ps. it was brought to me attention that i have already told this
story. . . sheesh. oh well, chalk that up to old age. . . and get
used to it!

2011-05-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

a few weeks ago i found a wonderful blogger who shares some
yummy secrets to adapting 'fake' snacks into healthy treats. her
simple genius has helped me think outside the box, too. i would
love to send you to her blog, but i've lost it. dang.

want to know what else is in your mr. redenbacher's microwave
popcorn? i don't even know what a couple of these substances
are:

popcorn
palm oil
salt
potassium chloride
butter
natural and artificial flavor
color?
TBHQ??
citric acid

here's the ingredients for your just as easy microwave popcorn:

popcorn
salt, if you want . . .
butter, if you like . . .

pour 1/4 cup popcorn kernels into a paper lunch sack. fold the
sack over twice, creasing each fold, and set microwave to the
'popcorn' setting. once your corn has popped, season as you
wish, happy with the knowledge that nothing artificial has been
added to your healthy snack.

yum!

love,
lea

ps. "dear friend, i pray that you may enjoy good health and that
all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well."
3 john 2

i blow dry my feet

2011-04-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

if you think it strange that i blow dry my feet, then you must not
know my aunt susan. she can blow a sunflower seed through a
straw and knock a squirrel plumb off its sycamore branch. that
used to tickle us kids, because that meant meat for dinner.

aunt susan's sister in law, doris, had special powers, too. one
time i saw her spit a watermelon seed into the eye of a racoon.
she didn't "cotton to his helpin' hisself to her corn cobs." now
that i think about it, neither did we.

doris' son, my friend jimmy, was a might 'tetched' but we
loved him just the same. the baker boys on the south 40 were
afraid of him, which kept them from beating up on us. which
is why i still have both my arms and legs.

which leads me to my feet. they get freezing cold, so to warm
them up, i turn the blow dryer on them, which is the only true
part of this story.

yep,
lea

"oh God, thou knowest my foolishness." psalm 69:5

hosanna!

2011-04-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

hosanna!!!! i love palm sunday almost as much as easter sunday.
the children waving palm branches and singing, "hosanna!" so
perfectly reflect the big hosanna in my heart. when we had
little ones, i used to get excited to pull out the resurrection eggs.
they were such a fun way to retell the greatest story ever lived.

as long as i can remember, i have awakened at the crack of dawn
on easter sunday to race down to the church by 7:00 am to begin
our marathon of three celebratory services. the beautiful hymns
declaring His resurrection are frequently cried instead of sung,
because the message of the cross rings so deep that morning.

we are thrilled to spend this easter in a quieter fashion, away
from home with all our children. no fanfare, no hats, no trumpets
declaring His praises. just sweet and simple thankfulness for
His death and joy at His resurrection.

He is risen, indeed!

love,
lea

treasure in a month

2011-04-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

it has been one month since i have written a word here, and i am
completely refreshed. there is an amazing enrichment from rest.
the Lord grafted it into each week, but we seldom take advantage
of it.

the schubert "mass in G" concert went surprisingly well, consi-
dering we were still working out some glitches during our warm
up. i wanted someone to shoot me right before to put me out of
my misery. imagine the epitaph: "her nerves done her in" . . .
or "she died because of the 'mass'. "

it was so fun of you to come. when i would look up and see you
holding that sweet, precious baby, it made my heart sing sweeter.
as i spied shelby suppressing the wiggles of #3, it brought the
perfect distraction from my nerves.

love,
lea

"My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
exodus 33:14

plenty of satisfaction

2011-03-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

dear ones,

as i mentioned a few weeks ago, my life is FULL right now, so
i'm taking a blogging break. but, lest you breathe a big sigh of
relief, i am still watching YOU!

i have been feasting on this passage of scripture, since i've been
eating less sugar.

"satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may
sing for joy and be glad all our days . . . may the favor of the
Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands."
psalm 90:14, 17

i pray that your lives will be filled with this satisfaction and His
favor,
lea

if you have sheryl crow's arms, do not read this.

2011-03-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

i just put on the first short sleeve t shirt in a while and these were
not the arms that i saw.

she does take guitar lessons from me, though.

i have enrolled in spring boot camp to try and make myself fit
and presentable. the daily exercise and healthy diet hasn't been
too hard. well, if you think denying myself sugar while craving
it at all times, isn't too hard.

honestly, if scripture were sugar, i would have the entire bible
memorized. i know His words "are sweeter than honey from
the comb," but I WANT SUGAR!!!!!!! (psalm 19:10)

desperate times call for desperate measures, so here is my recipe
for a "mock chocolate milkshake."

-one frozen banana cut into small pieces
-1/2 cup milk
-1 T. chocolate syrup
-1 packet of equal (i wanted to put in 5 packets)

mix in a blender until it looks like a milk shake and drink it
really fast. the cold headache authenticates the experience.

would you please give me your best pretend dessert recipe?

desperately seeking sugar,
lea

grace

2011-03-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

one of my idols is an 80 year old great grandma, who sings like
an angel, looks perfectly beautiful ALL THE TIME, and has
gracious words for everyone. don't you just hate people like
that?

our choir director wants her to teach classes to the rest of us
'younger' ladies. i have already gleaned so much by osmosis
but could certainly stand more formal training.

here's what she has tried to teach me so far:

1. love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength . . .
and your neighbor as yourself.

2. take a few moments to make yourself presentable. messy
hair and an unwashed face is not an expression of beauty.

3. if you think kind thoughts, you will express kind words.
if you consider others before yourself, you will rarely have to
apologize for bad behavior.

4. stand up nice and straight.

5. be will prepared for everything you do.

6. have a sense of humor and never take yourself too
seriously. looking at your backside in the mirror is helpful.

7. when uncomfortable at a social function, look for someone
who looks the same. that person will be grateful for your
attention. the popular folks will never miss you.

what are your tips?

love,
lea

"do nothing out of vain conceit, but in humility consider others
better than yourselves." philippians 2:3

ps. this is an edited repost. the first time i wrote it, one person
read it.

the death of black

2011-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i sang at a funeral for a lovely young woman, and my heart was
broken not just for the devastated family but also for the frail
and hopeless young mourners. they were slung upon the walls
of the reception area like lifeless tree branches. their shadowed
eyes were opened in starving hollows.

they were watching us, the middle aged disappointments, and i
could almost hear their accusations. "why are you all acting as
if everything is ok? where is the adult who can tell us why this
had to happen?? which one of you is going to make us feel
better???"

two distinct suffering cultures. one in black business suits and
black dresses, the other in skinny black jeans and black spiked
hair. separated as surely as the east is from the west.

but then i found one familiar young face, and as i approached i
saw her beneath her costume. as she saw me beneath mine, her
sweet face crumpled, and i held her close.

love,
lea

ps. "but we know that when we see Him, we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 john 3:2

the queen's speech

2011-02-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

after enjoying the excellent movie, the king's speech, i kept
thinking about the positive influence of the queen. her commit-
ment was inspiring, as she continued to drag her charming but
stammering husband to one speech pathologist after another.
does her loving perseverance save the king's speech and rally
a nation? if your history is shaky, you must watch the movie!

when i was a young bride i heard a teaching entitled, 'the power
of a woman to influence for good or evil.' it stunned me, since i
had never thought much of my influence. i was more concerned
with my tan in those days.

every woman from eve to deborah and jezebel to mary has
leveraged her influence toward the grievous or the worthy. my
tally score is not as praiseworthy as i wish. last night at dinner i
grumbled to my husband against a loved one instead of gently
urging him with kinder speech. . . the queen's speech.

love,
lea

"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, lovely,
and admirable . . . " philippians 4:8

for the brave of heart: 1 kings 19:2

Sunday Lane plays the Viper Room Feb 22nd.

2011-02-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

Sunday Lane plays the Viper Room Feb 22nd.

if you click on the above site, you can read some reviews sunday
lane is receiving.

yes, i am a proud mama. what other kind of happiness compares

to the one tied to ones children? her big brother max releases

his new cd in april, and he asked sunday to 'open' for him.

happy, happy, happy . . .

love,

lea

"the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely

i have a delightful inheritance." psalm 16:6

i am a bad driver

2011-02-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

if you quote me, i will deny it, because i will never admit this to
my husband or kids.

i am a bad driver.

i can't drive between the lines, park between the lines, or read
between the lines. at stop lights, i become distracted with the
woman brushing her hair in the car beside me, and someone
always has to honk to urge me through the green light.

one time i saw a fireman standing at the intersection with one
of his boots. "sir, did you lose your other boot?"

because i sing at the top of my lungs in the car, ambulances have
to turn up the volume of their sirens to get me to pull over. i
turned off the cd player yesterday but kept hearing some music.
what in the world?

my cell phone. hans had called 4 times. "sorry honey, can't
imagine why i didn't hear my phone."

policemen tip their hats to me, because i have sent so many of
their kids to college through my ~~violations~~ donations.

i try to do my part for the community.

love,
lea

ps. "give, and it will be given to you. a good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into
your lap. for with the measure you use, it will be measured to
you." luke 6:38

thank you!

2011-02-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

dear ones,

thank you for your prayers and encouraging comments. it is one
of the sweet blessings of the blog community that i have grown
to love.

the next few months hold an amazing plethora (shelby!) of happy
events. i am singing the soprano solo in schubert's 'mass in G' on
april 3rd which will require a great deal of deliberate work. my
optimistic conductor tends to think i can do more than i am able.

just a few short weeks after that, we will complete our mountain
cabin which will also take lots of attention . . . and fun. right
now there are 12 foot high drifts of snow icing the cabin like an
extravagant wedding cake.

life is full, and i am grateful.

love,
lea

"do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance,
and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you towards
repentance?" romans 2:4

time to fight

2011-02-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

this will make me late for church, but i feel such an urgency to get
these prayer needs out. i think it's funny that just a few days ago
i was questioning when to fight and when to yield. it sure feels
like the Spirit is leading me to fight now.

if you feel led to agree with the prayer below, i know their loved
ones would be grateful. you can also visit each blog to find more
about each situation.

--baby samuel

--dave

--scott (don't let teri's amazingly upbeat personality fool you.
she's dead serious about licking this cancer.)

--my friend bizy, whose 23 year old daughter was killed in a car
crash.

"out of the depths i cry to you, o Lord;
o Lord hear my voice.
let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy . . .

praise the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits
towards baby samuel, dave, scott, and bizy--
who forgives all their sins and heals all their diseases,

who redeems their lives from the pit
and crowns them with love and compassion,

who satisfies their desires with good things
so that their youth is renewed like the eagle's."
(psalm 130:1 and 103:1-5)

in Jesus' sweet and powerful name,
lea

solitude

2011-02-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

they say that admitting it is the first step. so here goes. "i am a
recluse."

i have not stepped outside my home in four days and feel no
urgency to do so. because i feel guilty about this, i will invite a
couple to dinner and make myself go to the gym.

this is not the same as agoraphobia, because i'm not afraid or
anxious to go outside. i just have no desire to do that. instead,
i'm content to stay inside with my God, my dog, my music, my
books, my blog, and of course, my husband.

i can never remember having experienced cabin fever. what a
great frontier woman i would have made! well, except for the
farming, churning butter, making our clothes, and feeding the
chickens.

anyone else have this social disfunction?

love,
lea

"come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
mark 6:31

2011-01-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i asked my friend dawn to write a guest post, because she is
chock full of wisdom, wit, and encouragement. she graciously
agreed, and so will you!

I have no idea anymore why my husband's shirt was hanging there. But it was, completing the picture for me of the family we had just become. This little clothing family was the view to my left after my son took much of my blood with him when he left the confines of my body and the doctor confined me to the bed. If I had been feeling up to it, I would have been scared of that little package of DNA. After all, those eight pounds three ounces would, in fifteen short years, become a 185-pound teenager whom I would have to look up to when I said yet again, "Is that understood, Young Man?!"

He still doesn't know my two little secrets. He won't, can't, until the moment he lays eyes on his own little bundle of great adventure someday. One disqualifies parents from parenting completely. The other overrides the first, and the job falls to moms and dads the world over.

1. We parents have no idea what we are doing. Little do our offspring know, we continually wonder if all we're doing will pay off in the end. We hold our breath with a straight, poker face, compare notes with friends, and remember how our parents handled us, then bluff our whole way through.

2. Secret number two that cancels out secret number one: Love. Only a parent's patience can overlook flaws and shortcomings to see a mature, responsible, amazing adult in the making. Growing up can be messy business, and nobody in the world loves your teenager more than you do. So trust your instincts and never underestimate the power of your love. It gives you more influence over your teenager than (s)he lets on.

And a word of advice? Don't get used to seeing clothes hung in closets. They will most assuredly be thrown on the floor.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you [ think (s)he] may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing . James 1:4

--

Dawn C. Gonzalez

http://www.everydayordinarydawnings.blogspot.com

when to fight and when to yield

2011-01-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

life is hard.

here's my question: when do we fight the hard stuff and when
do we yield to it?

those in the 'faith' camp roll up their sleeves to fight, while those
in the 'not my will but yours' camp are more reluctant to go into
battle. i have dear friends in both camps, but i can't seem to
throw myself in with their confidence.

i don't have the assurance from the scriptures that one way or
the other is always correct.

"there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity
under heaven . . . a time for war and a time for peace."
ecclesiastes 3:1,8

will someone please tell me when i'm supposed to fight and
when i'm supposed to yield?

and there's the rub. you can't tell me. i have to trust Jesus, Who
promised that the "Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind
you of everything I have said to you." (john 14:25)

in our darkest hour, the Lord sent an 'angel' to tell hans and i to
go to sleep. He raised up an army to fight for us. many, many
times, though, He has urged us to fight with all our might, praying
the scriptures without wavering.

love,
lea

if you want some real spiritual encouragement, visit spiritual sundays.

2011-01-26T06:13:00.000-08:00

my friend annie and i try to walk every week, and while we do,
we have some lively conversations. it's really too bad that the
four presidents inaugurated in our walking lifetime have never
sought our sagacious advice.

here's what we would say to :

george bush . . . excellent wife!

bill clinton . . . tsk, tsk

george W bush . . . we adore your wife!

obama . . . lovely wife . . . and those amazing arms!

we think that the man is only as esteemed as the woman beside
him. we believe that our husbands should be able to trust us to
speak the truth to them in grace. we hope that they will only
find happiness in OUR arms.

as to matters of state, we emphatically agree with the psalmist.

"my heart is not proud, o Lord.
my eyes are not haughty;

i do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.

but i have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

o israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore."
psalm 131

love,
lea

monday's mommy mentoring moment-guest post by janette!

2011-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

one of my favorite treasures in blogland is janette's sage. her
deeply inspiring spiritual saga frequently collides with hilarious
anecdotes that make my day. enjoy!

Bubbles - What Works for One Doesn't for Another

google image

After 27 years of parenting six children and absorbing countless parenting seminars and books, the one thing I can say that has held true is, “what works for one doesn’t work for another.”

Each of my children went through what I call the “potty mouth” stage of early childhood. To discourage this talk, I would march them to the bathroom, while instructing on what should and should not come from their mouths. Each time, I would put a dot of soap on their tongue. They were not allowed to spit it out and I would explain, “if you are going to have dirty words come out of your mouth then we need to wash your mouth out.” This was very effective on the first two....but I must add one of those is in his twenties now and probably could use a trip back to the bathroom.

Our third child entered the world quiet, gentle and passive, yet wanting the admiration of his two older brothers. He had an eager audience when he entered the “potty mouth” stage, who would encourage him with giggles and applauds for his new vocabulary. I, again, started down the hall, marching him to the bathroom, repeating the same past instructions given to his siblings. The siblings followed, anticipating the nasty taste in his mouth that they had experienced AND delighting in the correction of their sibling. (I know THEY had heart issues also...we live in a fallen world.)

Instead of the repentance of a lesson learned, my mild-mannered, non-strong-willed son (most of my kids are), stepped out of the bathroom to put on a show...which was very uncharacteristic of him.

HE STARTED BLOWING BUBBLES OUT OF HIS MOUTH!!! His older brothers hit the floor, rolling in laughter....and I have to admit I joined them. He learned his lesson, but it wasn’t from my method of teaching... it was from a change in his heart. He still at times will shock us all by doing something so out of character to bring his family a smile.

Lesson learned - What works for one doesn’t always work for the others.

“Train up a child in the way HE should go....” - learning what is right for each child is a challenge, but God made them individuals and He will instruct the parents on the way to train each one.

the pioneer man

2011-01-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

my 26 year old son has poked fun at our fascination with the
pioneer woman. he just doesn't get how we could be so taken
with this 'luci' in 'green acres' persona but last week called to
tell me that he was the pioneer man. ?

after his friend's mom had a major surgery, my SON made them
spaghetti using the pioneer woman's recipe. my mouth fell open
in wonder. this basketball playin', law school attendin', pioneer
woman deridin' son of mine?

i thought i might have a little fun with this . . .

"dear pioneer man,

my biscuits never turn out light and fluffy as my husband likes
them. could you please tell me what in the world i'm doing
wrong?

-an ardent fan"

google image

he responded . . .

"Dear fan,

Thanks for your trust. Since I don't know exactly what you are
doing, I cannot provide precise instructions. But make sure to
use lots of butter and even a little dab of honey.

Remember, great cooks are not born----they are made. Whatever
you do, keep on cooking!

Best of luck,
Pioneer Man"

now here's my final question. why is he using the pioneer
woman's recipe and not mine?

love,
lea

" . . . but man does not live on bread alone but on every word that
comes from the mouth of the Lord." deuteronomy 8:3

do overs

2011-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

we had taken a young man to church and were enjoying a lively
conversation, when he said, "i wish i had do-overs on that."
before i knew it, i popped out with, "i wish i had do-overs on
many things!"

wouldn't it be wonderful if after snapping at our loved ones, we
could just blink twice and do it over? how many times have i
sung a song and anguished over a poor performance? i'd have
given my right arm for a do-over.

why, oh why did i walk right past that homeless person and not
give him some money or a kind word? how could i have spent
the entire day reading a book when i should have been paying
my bills or cleaning out the cupboard?

who says 'cupboard' anymore?

i'm grateful that, though i can't un-do what i have done, i can
receive forgiveness for it. hopefully, the pain of my poor choice
will keep me from doing the ugly deed again.

love,
lea

ps. "for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember
their sins no more." hebrews 8:12

guest post by sonja!

2011-01-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i am so delighted to introduce you to one of my favorite blog
friends, sonja at bits and pieces. her engaging humor and
deep love for the Lord have been an inspiration for only a
few months, but i feel like i've known her my whole life.
soak it up!!!

I love Lea!

Being a guest on her post is both fun and humbling... especially humbling, as the subject is 'raising our children'... I told Lea it would easier to write a book than to write a blog!

My mom always used to say 'we have 3 children and they keep us happy, humble and poor!'... I am far enough down the road of life that I know all 3 of those things have been true for us as well, with our 3.

Here are a few points I would highlight...

1. Begin when they are small... a teenager who has not been taught from birth and up, is NOT going to listen and obey as you think they should when they hit those years.

2. Be honest with your children... when you have been wrong, tell them, and ask for their forgiveness. They learn from what we do much more than what we say. Just like God's love forgives us, we are to forgive them. 'It's His kindness that leads us to repentance.'

3. Keep the communication going... even when they are at the age when mom & dad are 'uncool'... let them know they can talk about anything and that they have an honest, and safe place to vent. I remember when ours were growing up and we were in a tough financial place, my husband called one of our 'family meetings' and shared his concerns with them. We felt we might need to relocate, and our kids needed to know and share in those concerns, as it also affected their lives. We opened it up to their thoughts and they blew off steam and told us what they were feeling. It was a hard session, but the talking and sharing helped us all.

4. Have fun with your kids!... most of you probably already know the value of that. Humor is one of the most valuable gifts we have been given. I can't tell you how many times one or another of us were upset, angry, down in the dumps or flat out depressed, and somehow our sense of humor came through and we ended up laughing till our sides hurt. It is so healing.

I share this story with embarrasment and hesitation, when I tell you that I tried to give our 18 year old daughter a spanking when she was a freshman in college! I know, I know... She had said some REALLY disrepectful things and was in my face when she said them. Before I had time to think it through, I instinctively tried to put her over my knee and give her a good wallop! Of course it didn't happen... She went out the door in a huff and I called my busy husband at work and bawled... told him 'I have really blown it... Carole may have run away from home', and told him what I had done. He calmed me down, and I sat in the rocking chair and cried and prayed until she came through the door after class. I heard her cheerful little voice that she used when she was being funny, she said 'I don't know about you, but I feel pretty silly!'... We laughed and hugged and to this day, it's one of those stories we still laugh about, and all 3 of HER girls LOVE to hear me tell it!!

5. Hold your ground when you know you are right, and stay united with your husband... kids can almost 'look like the enemy' at times, and they can SENSE when we begin to falter or show signs of retreat... they come on strong and jump right into that vulnerable place they detect in us, IF we allow it. I was the one who 'caved' sometimes, not my hubby, and our kids appealed to me on lots of things that they wouldn't dare try with their dad! I learned that one the hard way.

6. Final thought... keep Jesus in everything! Make it a priority to read God's Word with your kids and to pray, about everything. When we do that in our homes, it becomes the most natural thing for them to do the same in their own lives. There are going to be hurts and heartaches along the way, and they need to know that Jesus is their friend and will always be there. Teach them by making Him the priority in your home. Our children watch we do... much more than they listen to what we say!!

One more 'final thought'... in everything that comes our way as parents, NONE of it is wasted in OUR lives. As God is shaping our children through our instruction... He is also shaping US, many times in ways we didn't even know we needed.

Our 3 are grown and now they are raising our 6 grandkids... I know they have learned from our mistakes, and I also trust they have learned from our love for them, which never changes.

Love them, pray for them, love them and keep praying!...

the year in review

2011-01-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

it made my heart sing to hear (wow, i just saw that 'hear' is the
root of 'heart') that matt called hans to talk about our 'year in
review.' my children have the wisest father, who is more given
to them than any father i have ever known.

the year in review is a great example of that. every january, he
spends time with each of the kids talking about the milestones of
the year before. they all groan about it, but once the memories
start flowing, it becomes a valuable way to say, "look what the
Lord has done." the groans yield to tears and laughter.

it is also a time to show how He has knit our hearts together
through the difficult and happy moments. even though each of
our children has unique gifts and dreams and live miles away
from us and each other, we want their hearts to remain linked.

we have seen how time and miles have unraveled families, and
we want to oppose that. when i am a great-grandmother, and i
plan to be a GREAT grandmother, i hope to hear my children
and their children laughing and roughhousing in the background
as their father takes them one by one to remember the goodness
of the Lord in the previous year.

love,
lea

"the Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with
joy!" psalm 126:3

a united front

2011-01-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i know very little about the art of war but, having seen some great
war movies, understand that a united front is essential to victory.
my experience in battle was for the lives of my teenagers, and a
reason for our success was hans' and my arms linked side by side
as a kryptonite shield.

one of my favorite sayings during those 14 years was, "it's a great
thing that hans and i still love each other, because sometimes, we
are the only ones in our house who do!"

those adolescents were slippery and stealthy. they could turn our
words back on us with greater skill than the wiliest defense
attorney. they had the ability to slip through windows, leap tall
buildings, hear through walls, and exert superhuman control
over facial muscles. they also exhibited enhanced speed (only
in automobiles), endurance, and stamina to stay up all night.

google image

AND they discovered our greatest weakness. we cared. we
actually cared for those teenage earthlings.

which, of course, was one of our secret weapons.

love,
lea

"there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear . . ."
1 john 4:18

raising teenagers

2011-01-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i have touched briefly, because NO one wants to spend much
time here, on the teenage years. when my crew were little,
people used to say, "oh, enjoy them while they're so precious.
when they turn 13, you won't like them anymore."

how terrifying is that? and untrue . . . mostly.

if you have established a foundation of respect and love with
your youngsters, you will survive their rough patches at 15. if,
however, you allow disrespectful, selfish behavior when they are
young and compliant, they will most likely turn into two-headed
monsters. at this point, you will be forced to hire an exorcist.

google images

just kidding . . . mostly.

so, the moral of the story is to plan for the future. you cannot
control the unfolding events , but your relationship with your
future teenager begins right now.

1. from the age of two, your child should be able to look you
   in the eye when you speak to him.

2. there is no need to yell at him. speak as respectfully to him,
   as you would your husband. (ahem, are you speaking
   respectfully to your husband?)

3. do NOT ask your toddler to do anything, unless you are
   willing to back up the request. if you let these requests
   slip by without response, your darling will quickly tune
   you out.

4. spend more time snuggling, reading, and playing, than
   bossing and disciplining. "all work and no play, makes
   mom a big BORE."

5. keep pappy, happy.

this is just the beginning, and after much prayer and reflection,
i have lots more to share.

love,
lea

"so in everything, do to others what you would have them do
to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets." mt. 7:12

lower case letters

2010-12-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

after re-reading the grammar rules for capitalization, i realized
that i have never explained my reason for breaking them.

it's childlike, and i have been chastised for it but will continue to
use only lower case letters for my simple thoughts. i like the idea
of saving the upper case ones for the One who deserves them,
because this allows me to show Him honor in a 'big' and 'small'
way.

one of my favorite lines is from harry wormwood to his young
daughter, matilda. "listen you little wise acre, i'm smart; you're
dumb. i'm big; you're little. i'm right; you're wrong, and there's
nothing you can do about it."

google image

it's hilarious, because he is actually the dumb, little, and wrong
one. i want to be the polar opposite of harry wormwood and
by writing in lower case letters, i have an opportunity to show
what i think about myself.

the Lord is omniscient; i'm not very smart. He's BIG; i'm little.
He's just and true in all His ways; i'm frequently wrong, but there
are many things i can do about that.

love,
lea

"praise our God, all you servants, you who fear Him, both small
and great." revelation 19:5

paths to take

2010-12-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

as i was strolling in the soft, deep sand by the ocean, my calves
began to shout in protest. it was much easier to turn around and
step into my footprints than to forge on.

unfortunately, attempting to match my own steps took a surprising
amount of concentration. i was no longer waving at the adorable
babies along the shore or counting the boats on the horizon. so i
let my feet resume their aimless wandering, once again enjoying
the blissful breezes and lapping waves but ignoring my calves.

life is a bit like that. we decide which path to take, who to
notice, and what to ignore.

i want my children to venture down many enriching and exciting
shores. some will take the road less traveled, which might be
lonely or dangerous. others will choose more conventional paths,
that will, at times, be monotonous, but each will have the thrill of
deciding for himself.

my choice will be to love them, pray for them, and welcome them
home. my comfort will be that "He leads them beside still waters."
psalm 23:2

love,
lea

home for Christmas

2010-12-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i'm not certain barrett jones will be home for Christmas, but am
happy to say that he has contacted his family and seems to be ok.
thank you for your continued prayers for his family as they sort it
all out.

life is complicated, messy, and painful . . . but so much better than
the alternative, as mark twain used to say.

my favorite early Christmas present is the photo you sent of your
precious #2 and tiny baby bird. i could hold her for the rest of
my life and never get my fill.

i'm signing off until after the holidays, because i want to be fully
invested in all the happy moments. merry Christmas and may
your new year be full of peace and plenty. (i stole that from
father tim.)

love,
lea

"the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
we have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who
came from the Father, full of grace and truth." john 1:14

2010-12-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

dear emily

i have the family's permission to release a picture and the name
of the precious young man who has been missing for over a
week now.

barrett jones

i could always count on barrett to speak to me very respectfully
and look straight into my eyes. he traveled with my son on
mission trips and played basketball with him for four years. the
faculty from his high school selected barrett to be their favorite
student of the year.

this is a special young man, and his lovely parents' hearts are
breaking.

yesterday, a missing baylor student called his family from a
church in arizona. my prayer is that today, barrett will call
his family, too.

"to this i will appeal:

the years of the right hand of the Most High.
i will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, i will remember Your miracles of long ago.

i will meditate on all Your works and consider
all Your mighty deeds." psalm 77: 11, 12

your prayers and your generous kindness are such a gift,
lea

o come, all ye faithful!

2010-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

your faithful prayers and precious words of encouragement have
been such a gift. it is difficult to express to those who do not
blog that there is such love here.

we have not heard anything from my friend's son, but it appears
that he is 'away' on his own volition. our prayers are for his
safety and his swift return.

did any of us EVER imagine, when our babies were so sweet
and stayed where we lay them, that someday they would lay
us on our faces?

no one has drawn me to come as "all ye faithful," not always
joyful and triumphant, but "to adore Him" than my children.
thankfully, He "always leads us in triumph in Christ."
(2 corinthians 2:14)

gratefully,
lea

urgent prayer request

2010-12-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

dear ones,

it is with such a heavy heart that i request your anointed prayers.
the son of one of my closest friends has been missing for almost
three days. we are beside ourselves with worry and heartache.

if you would pray for his safe return and leave a word of comfort
for his sweet mom, i would be so thankful.

"suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.
does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country to go after
the lost sheep until he finds it? and when he finds it, he joyfully
puts it on his shoulders and goes home.

then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'rejoice
with me; i have found my lost sheep.' i tell you that in the same
way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not
need to repent." luke 15:4-7

gratefully,
lea

to hear the angels sing

2010-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

one of the roles i cherish as a mother is the one of rescuer. we
can't always help our little ones, but when we can, it just doesn't
get any better than than that . . .

"well, " she said cheerily one afternoon to david, her eight year
old, and two of his friends, "what Christmas songs are you
learning this year?"

looking down at his feet, david answered sadly, "teacher says
we can't sing good enough. she's only going to let the kids sing
who can carry a tune."

inwardly she broke in a mother's rage. "so that's what she says,
does she?"

she drew in a deep breath, "well how'd you like to practice your
song with me? what song is your class to sing?"

"it came upon the midnight clear!", all three boys, speaking at
once. she played and sang the first two lines, and they opened
their mouths and sang out lustily.

at the end of the phrase, david's mother stopped abruptly; her
feelings about the teacher made a right-about turn.

she lifted her head and smiled. "i tell you what, the way, really,
to learn a tune is just one note after another. i'll play just the
two first notes on the piano--'it came'--." full of good will, the
little boys sang with her.

she stopped. breathed hard. "i think we better take it one note
at a time."

during the weeks before Christmas, the mother invented games to
teach the boys to hear whether a note was higher or lower, 'up
hill and down hill.' little by little the boys began to sing the same
notes that she played.

when all three boys sang, "the world in solemn stillness lay-- to
hear the angels sing . . ." with the rest of the class, the mother
enjoyed the soul satisfying pleasure of a sweet reward.

walking home on a cloudless, still night, david lifted his face
towards the stars. "it's so still." he said in a hushed voice, a
voice she had never heard before.

"all those stars, they shine so bright. but, they don't make a
sound."

then he looked into his mother's face, "do you remember in the
song, 'the world in solemn stillness lay'?"

the starlight showed his clear, honest, little boy eyes wide and
fixed on his mother's, and in them she saw a miracle --- of an
awakening soul.

he had not known that he had an inner sanctuary. now he stood
in it, awe-struck at his first sight of beauty, and opened the door
to his mother.

"i thought i heard them singing--sort of," he whispered.

(adapted from "the night the stars sang" by dorothy canfield
fisher)

merry Christmas,
lea

"and suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the
heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'glory to God in the
highest and peace to men on whom His favor rests."
luke 2:14

what child is this?

2010-12-05T14:35:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

how can a mother sing the song, "what child is this?" without
weeping? we've held our own precious little ones on our laps
and laid them to rest countless times. to think that mary did
the same with the King of kings bears reflection.

He was heralded by angels but was laid in a manger, and mary
treasured these things in her heart. no place is it recorded that
she said, "what? my Son, the Messiah, must have the finest
room in the inn. don't you know who He is?"

could she see the glory of the Lord on His tiny countenance
as He lay there?

simeon did "and took Him in his arms and praised God saying:
. . . for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have
prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the
gentiles and for glory to your people israel." (luke 2:28-32)

and then he said to mary, " . . . and a sword will pierce your
own soul, too." (luke 2:35) truer words were never spoken.
when my children were misjudged or treated unfairly it killed
me. i wanted to strike out and protect them.

she seems to have been submitted to His destiny; "whither thou
goest, i will go . . ." as another handmaiden had said years
before. (ruth 1:16, 17)

i fear that, as a protestant, i have robbed mary her due. she
was not perfect and even admonished by her Son a couple of
times as He grew in stature before God and man, but she had
qualities i would love to see in myself:

humility
devotion
courage
contemplation
obedience
faith

"this, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and
angels sing; haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the
Son of mary."

love,
lea

o little town of bethlehem

2010-12-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

we have a winner of the smallest tree contest . . . the tiny candy
cane goes to margaret for not only entering the contest but for
doing it with such gusto! she even wrote a post on her pithy
blog, single and sane.

why did i have this silly idea? my heart must have been
pondering the wonder of God's value of humility, smallness.

He "chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;
God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised . . .
so that no one may boast before Him." 1 corinthians 1:27, 28

He honored young, humble, and virgin mary, a descendant of
the great king david, to bear His Son, the King of kings. her
response?

"my soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior, for He has been mindful of my lowly state . . .He has
brought down rulers . . but has lifted up the humble."
luke 1:46-52

and when the time came for the baby to be born, she gave
birth to her firstborn, a Son. she wrapped Him in cloths and
placed Him in a manger, for there was no room for them in
the inn.

and where was that inn?

in the little town of bethlehem. "and you, bethlehem, though
you are small . . . out of you will come . . . the ruler over
israel, whose origins are from ancient times." micah 5:2

"the hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight."

merry Christmas,
lea

check out the inspirational blogs at spiritual sundays

the smallest tree

2010-12-01T01:05:00.000-08:00

i confess that i started this duel by asking vee if her tree was
really only three feet tall. she has to admit, though, that she
escalated the battle by revealing her beautiful tree which IS
three feet.

as i passed my kitchen island, i started snickering, because my
tree is only 22 inches tall!

so, i am challenging bloggers everywhere, even in the remote
country of texas, to "the smallest tree" contest. all you have to
do is post a picture of your tiny tree, give its height, and leave
me a comment, so i will know to verify your tall tale.

the winner of the smallest tree will receive an itty, bitty candy
cane to grace your teeny shrub.

merry Christmas,
lea

"take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle
and humble of heart." matthew 11:29

this little light of mine...

2010-11-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

don't you love "charlie brown's Christmas?" charlie is moping
around for the true meaning of Christmas, and linus sums it up
quite nicely.

"there were shepherds abiding in the field . . ."

can you imagine a contemporary cartoon referring to the angel's
visitation of the shepherds? it makes me very sad that children
have so few encounters with 'the babe' in our world. the light
has grown very dim here.

that's why i'm so grateful to the hobby lobby and mardel stores
for purchasing an advertisement that still warms my heart.

john 1 says "the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has
not understood it." we can make our homes illuminators to our
children's hearts by loving them, reading the scriptures to them,
and telling stories of His wonder in our lives.

psalm 104 says, "He wraps Himself in light as with a garment." i
would love to wrap that garment around my children and protect
them from all darkness.

...i'm gonna let it shine,
lea

ps. go to pj's to see some amazing lights!

"missing"

2010-11-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

i'm a coward, and that's why my heart is so stirred by heroism.
one of my favorite movies, "missing" with cate blanchett and
tommy lee jones, is chock full of it.

after her daughter is kidnapped by a depraved man and his gang
of unmerry men, a desperate mother is forced to beg her
estranged father for help. the picture earns its "R" rating in a
dozen ways but none of them can keep me from loving the
timeless tale of courage, devotion, and reconciliation.

when the indian grandfather is left for dead in the desert, he asks
a hawk to guide him home. does that seem silly?

bruce olson, the motilone missionary, tells a story of being
kidnapped and dragged into a south american jungle. when he
felt the most despair, God sent a bird to sing to him the entire
night.

in the final scene of "missing", the mother fiercely yells at the
wicked men, "fuera!", which means "leave!" . . .or, "satan, i
rebuke you in the name of Jesus!" :)

you will have to watch the movie yourself to see if they do.

love,
lea

"even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for
herself, where she may have her young--a place near Your altar."
psalm 84:3

make a joyful noise!

2010-11-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

my friend, lana from honeysuckle lane, has asked me to do a
guest post at her blog. i know, what was she thinking? she is
an incredibly talented artist, and i can't even draw a straight
line!

would you, please, hop over there and say, "hello?"

happy thanksgiving!

love,
lea

monday's mentoring mommy moment

2010-11-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

it is terribly presumptuous of me to give you a thanksgiving craft
idea, since you are the master, but i couldn't resist. these cards
are just so darn cute!

here's the link.

we also used to read every thanksgiving book i could get my
hands on. here are a few you will love.

"squanto and the miracle of thanksgiving" by eric metaxas
"thanksgiving, a time to remember" by barbara rainey
"an old fashioned thanksgiving" by louisa may alcott

some great scriptures to memorize as we prepare our hearts for
thanksgiving are psalm 31:19, 95:1-6, and of course, psalm 100.
it's always an encouragement for mom and dad to tell what we
are thankful for, especially our precious children. if the kids
want to pipe in, that's even better.

many families forego their own meal to help serve dinner at the
homeless shelter. i can't imagine anything to make a child's
thanksgiving richer or his heart more grateful than to help those
less fortunate.

i hope some of my friends will leave comments, because they
always have such wonderful ideas.

thankfully yours,
lea

"how great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for
those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in You." psalm 31:19

hear no evil, speak no evil

2010-11-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

when my son max was three or four and up to some orneriness, he
would say, "mommy, don't see me."

what a great illustration of how we try to hide our own ugliness.
unfortunately, "there is nothing concealed that will not be dis-
closed, or hidden that will not be made known. what you have
said in the dark will be heard in the daylight and what you have
heard in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the rooftops."
(luke 12:2,3)

not exactly a refrigerator verse. more of a rooftop one.

a true indicator of the state of our hearts is how we speak to our
husbands and children when no one else is listening . . . how
we talk about our friends when they aren't around . . . and how
we treat the least in the kingdom (the dog!)

Lord, have mercy!
-lea

i'm linking to spiritual sundays.

headache at walmart

2010-11-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

my daughter, shelby, gets fussy at me for spending so much money
at my neighborhood grocery store. "mom, that chicken costs twice
as much as at walmart." i know, but walmart's garish flourescent
lighting, the hard floors, loud noises, and crowds of people are
such an assault.

google image

monday, however, i mustered my courage to make the thanksgiving
supply run at the local walmart. shelby would have been so proud
of my great attitude. "this will be fun. there will be so many good
deals, etc."

but, 20 steps into the store and i felt like everyone was yelling at
me, the lights hurt my eyes, i couldn't find the stuffing, and my
head was pounding. i ~~frowned~~ looked at a sweet elderly man,
who said, "well, it's our church singer. yvonne would be so glad
to see you! she just thinks you're . . ."

i immediately thought of sonja's post on the dangers of putting
Christian bumper stickers on our cars. people expect us to act like
Christians, if our cars are saved. :) well, the same is true of
sunday singers. people expect us to be as cheerful on monday,
even at walmart.

speaking of cars, when i approached mine, i saw that the front left
tire had been shredded.

are you kidding me?

love,
lea

"let your gentleness be evident to all. the Lord is near." philippians 4:5

crumbs from the table

2010-11-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

when my children were quite young, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, i took
them to hear a famous preacher. it was important to me that they
be exposed to as many of the Lord's treasures as possible.

unfortunately, upon arrival we were told that the chapel seats
were reserved for the college students.

"we will stand in back, then, and enjoy the crumbs from the
table."

brazilian pastries

the preaching was inspiring, exhilarating really, and we hardly
noticed that we didn't have seats, when the man of God looked
back and said,

"are those children standing in the back?"

my heart dropped, because i thought we were going to be cast
out of the auditorium. my little ones looked up at me with big
eyes.

"bring them up here so that i may lay hands on them and pray
for them."

brazilian prosciutto and cheese wheel

our crumbs turned into a feast.

love,
lea

"let the little children come to Me, and do nothing to hinder
them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
matthew 19:14

trials to glory

2010-11-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

after an entire day of tears and pressing into the Lord with my
heartache, i felt like i had been to church. i almost told someone,
"at church today . . ." but remembered i hadn't actually been in
the building. why did it feel as if i had? i think it is because
when we suffer and lean into Him, we feel very near to Him.

jp recently posted an inspiring quote from anne lamott at her
witty blog, seens from the back of my eyelids, which holds an
answer to my question. "when God is going to do something
wonderful, He always starts with a hardship; when God is going
to do something amazing, He start with an impossibility."

one of my heroes of the faith, richard wurmbrand, supplies his
perspective. he was tortured in a communist prison during the
cold war for his faith. after he was released from prison, he
frequently referred to those days of glory.

glory?

"in our darkest hours of torture, the Son of Man came to us,
making the prison walls shine like diamonds and filling the
cells with light."

that surpasses any church service i have attended, but oh, the
cost. please pray for our brothers and sisters of the faith who
are being persecuted today from azerbaijan to yemen.

love,
lea

"then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to
death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me."
matthew 24:9

i'm linking to spiritual sundays!

gifts from holland, canada, and texas!

2010-11-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

when i returned from brazil, i had an intriguing package all the
way from holland! sweet saskia sent me a lovely pink necklace
to commemorate breast cancer awareness month. she also added
precious tiny ribbons and fun stickers.

what she doesn't know is that i have a small collection of delft
from the netherlands. thank you, saskia! i hope everyone will
visit her gorgeous blog, join my joy.

yesterday, another package arrived from canada! i can't describe
how my life has been enriched by this lovely lady. she has taught
me to see with eyes bent to beauty and to express the Lord's love
with gracious sensitivity. her gift is not only a generous gesture
but an expression of love, because she sent me a treasure that
reminded her of me.

thank you, dear rosie! you couldn't know that i have the absolute
twin bird roosting beneath the lamp in my powder bath. i hope
everyone will visit your exquisite blog, roses and rutabagas, which
delights with every visit.

and believe it or not, i have also received another wonderful
gift all the way from the exotic country of texas! my dear
friend, janette, from janette's sage, has enhanced my life with
her wisdom, inspiring stories, loving comments, . . . and a
spectacular handmade pillow!

when i told her it looked perfect in my kitchen, she said, "i'm not
sure what you will do with it in there." :)

so i wanted her to know it also looks pretty in my family room!

well, it would if my family room wasn't on its side.

love,
lea

"if you then . . . know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask Him!" luke 11:13

monday's mommy mentoring moment

2010-11-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

dear emily,

i have a sweet younger friend, uncanny colleen, who has written
a precious letter to her five year old son. how much will he
cherish an entire letter all about him? i could imagine her reading
this to him at his rehearsal dinner in 20 years, even though he still
thinks he is going to marry his mommy.

this reminded me that hans' dad wrote him a letter everyday of his
freshman year at college. those sweet notes of encouragement are
bundled up next to the ones my grandma had written me. if we
treasure them so, why don't we write more of them ourselves?

i now realize that my email encouragements to our five children
cannot replace a hand written letter. a beautiful sheet of paper can
be taped to the bathroom mirror or cradled between the pages of
their bible. emails are too easily deleted and forgotten.

when shelby was seven, we chuckled at a note she wrote hans in
her careful cursive.

"dear pappy,

we are so proud of the way
you have led us through.

love,
shelby"

last Christmas, 17 years later, she hand stitched it onto fabric on
which she had sewn perfectly straight lines to look like notebook
paper.

love,
lea

"simon peter, a servant and messenger of Jesus Christ, sends
this letter to those who have been given a faith as valuable as
yours, in the righteousness of our God . . ." 2 peter 1:1

autumn with adam and eve

2010-11-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

as hans and i strolled beneath glorious autumn leaves, we crunched
the fallen crimson and yellow ones under our feet. i love these
walks, because we talk about so many interesting subjects, and
not always our children. :)

this day we were discussing adam and eve. hans maintained that
when God asked adam, "where are you?", he might not have been
referring to his location but to the state of his heart. he might as
well have asked, "who are you now?"

adam replied, "i heard you in the garden, and i was afraid because
i was naked; so i hid."

"who told you that you were naked?" their nakedness had never
been an issue before their disobedience, and hans wondered if
things might have gone better for them had adam answered, "we
disobeyed and were hiding because we felt ashamed."

instead he revealed that he considered himself unveiled and no
longer covered by God's good favor. he also demonstrated his
fear of God just like the servant who "knew" Him as the hard
master and hid his talent. (matthew 25:25)

moreover, adam seemed to consider himself "out", which, of
course, is exactly what the serpent intended. one strike, and
you're out?

love,
lea

ps. i am linking to joyce's at "i love pretty things"
and to ginger and charlotte's at "spiritual sundays."

a pink bunny

2010-11-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

my friend barbie was having her early morning devotions, when
she noticed her three year old granddaughter. barbie invited her
to come pray with her, and the precious little one said she wanted
to ask God for a pink bunny just like her big sister's.

once they had finished praying, barbie said that they needed to
be still and listen if God had anything to say back to them. after
a few seconds, her granddaughter tugged on her sleeve.

"He said, 'yes.' "

oh, to have the faith of a little one.

love,
lea

"therefore, whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me." matthew 18:4

paul, barnabas, and timothy

2010-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

i am going to try to harness myself to writing a weekly post
for young moms, "monday's mentoring mommy moment."
how's that for an alliteration? it's my prayer that other older
moms will also chime in with their two cents and bless your
socks off.

hans says that everyone needs a paul, barnabas, and timothy
in their life.

the view from my brazilian room

paul is that older, wiser one who has something to teach us. i
lean on many older women who have set a fine example for me
to "love my husband and children, to be self-controlled and
pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, etc." (titus 2:4) they
encourage me, pray for me, and give me great advice.

barnabas is the friend who is basically in the same boat and has
children the same age. my 'barnabases' have been my best
friends for over twenty years. their kids call me by my first
name, and i hope their grandkids will too! these are the ones i
complain to when hans has to go out of town again, i blow it
with the kids, or i want to strangle a teacher.

last, but not least, is timothy. it's so sweet to have a younger
woman to pass along the privilege of raising children and a
husband. :) she will force us to really examine ourselves and
our relationships, which is good for us. how can we tell an over
worked young thing to do something that we have never done?

you, sweet emily, are sandwiched in between me and my girls.
how precious is that? we are paul, barnabas, and timothy.

love,
lea

all saints' day

2010-10-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

i have never been a big fan of halloween. when our children were little, we

bought lots of treats and had a movie night. i know, it probably sounds like

cruel and unusual punishment to not let them go trick or treating, but i just

couldn't feel great about sending them out on a night dedicated to ghouls

and goblins. especially, when i believed in them.

brazilian hibiscus

it never bothered me that other people wanted to celebrate this holiday, since

that wasn't my business, but it sure upset everybody else that i didn't want to

participate. sheesh, you would have thought i was abusing my kids!

it seemed better to celebrate something positive on the following day, all

saints' day. not as thrilling, of course, to the average 10 year old but still

inspiring. we talked about those who laid down their lives for the sake of

the cross or their loved ones. we read stories about paul and silas in prison

or stephen, peter, and john.

corrie ten boom and john wesley were heroes and saints worthy of our

remembrance and remember them we did!

we also had a dress up trunk that the kids repeatedly dipped into for dress

up at all other times of the year. you might say they tricked and treated

for a different reason most days of the year.

love,

lea

"the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life,

and have it abundantly." john 10:10

on our way to the beach

2010-10-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

our trip to the beach was like a dream. it is not possible to adequately describe
the verdant jungle covered mountains, skirted by clouds and mist.

we passed so many thousands of containers at port santos, the largest
port in south america, it looked like a container graveyard. each of the
containers was large enough to store a small house. in fact, some of the
shacks along the road were much smaller than the containers.

the beauty of the jungle juxtapositioned with the extreme poverty was troubling.
these poor people have to pay the most outrageous prices for basic necessities,
which i will share about more another time. please pray for them.

i was also disconcerted by the animals. "their cows look so strange."

"mom, those are yaks." whatever.

then, we turned a corner and saw the ocean.

the sand was so soft and compact that bikes and vendors abounded.

competing with the grandeur of the ocean were the extraordinary, exotic
flowers. i didn't know that orchids could grow from the trunks of coconut
trees in a symbiotic fashion.

it all still seems like a dream.

love,
lea

"when the Lord restored the fortunes of zion, we were like those
who dream." psalm 126:1

obrigada!

2010-10-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

well, after a week in brazil, the only word i know is "obrigada" . . ."thank
you!" it expresses what is in my heart to hans for taking me to see our
daughter, hailey, and to the Lord for watching over her.

it's difficult to find the words for the relief i felt at seeing her contentment
and pride in her adopted country. she was so excited to show us their
lovely home, the precious children she cares for, and the language school
she is attending.

after a gigantic feast at a brazilian churrascaria (steak house), i thought i
could never eat meat again. we spent our first evening enjoying the warm
early summer breeze from their back porch, listening to the strange wail of
an "X-files" bug and the songs of the parrots above us.

when it started to sprinkle, hailey jumped up to gather in the wash from
the clothes line. yes, they hang out the laundry, because electricity is so
expensive. that is something i have never done. then, we loaded up her
bag and kidnapped her for four glorious days at the beach, which i will
share about in a few days.

"obrigada" to all who visited hailey's blog and left such sweet encourage-
ments for her.

love,
lea

"thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 corinthians 9:15

ouch! watch what you say to me!!

2010-10-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

i approached target, and a wave of grief washed over me. as i began
sinking under it, i heard myself say,

"silly woman, what in the world is wrong with you?"

"well, i always come to target with the girls, and i just miss them so
much!"

"uh huh, and do you remember why you are here?" i can be so
demanding.

"just picking up some things to take to hailey." i muttered.

"i'm sorry, what did you say?"

"picking up some things to take to hailey, sir!"

"exactly. you should be rejoicing. now stop feeling sorry for yourself."

gulp.

so i feasted on one of target's delicious all beef hot dogs, barely able to
finish it and remembered wishing i could have another just six weeks
ago. another reason to rejoice. :)

it made me think about how important it is to encourage my self-talk
every now and then. "there is a time to weep but also a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance." (ecclesiastes 3:4) my emotions
get so mixed up that i have to speak to them, too.

yikes! i'm starting to sound schizophrenic.

i'm going to take a blog break, but it would thrill hailey, who blogs
about her brazilian experiences, if you hopped over there to say,
"hello! or ciao!" in portuguese. well, really it would just thrill me.

ciao,
lea

waitin' for the car wash

2010-10-12T09:56:00.001-07:00

when our son max was only three or so, i took him with me to drive through
the car wash, thinking he would get a kick out of the giant scrubbers, multi-
colored rubber strips, and soapy water.

wrong. it terrified him. i guess he thought it was attacking us, which is totally
understandable, since he always knew the fourth of july fireworks were aimed
straight at us. don't even get me started about the circus or the rodeo!

but, i digress from the car wash. hans has been doing an informal survey and
maintains most women will wait until the car in front pulls completely out
before we enter. we, apparently don't understand that the wash is set to dry
the first car while foaming the second car. uh huh.

before he could further explain the brilliant engineering of automatic car washes,
i interrupted. "i have noticed that most men will practically push my car out
while it's still my turn."

reminds me of little boys who can't wait their turn for the water fountain. :)

love,
lea

"i am waiting for the Lord, my soul is waiting for Him, and my hope is in
His word." psalm130:5

health and fitness

2010-10-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

a couple of weeks ago, i attempted to share my fitness regime and ended
up talking about cheesecake instead. this post, however is as serious
as a heart attack.

one month ago, i made a sober self, size, and well being assessment. i
was still heartbroken at my last child hopping out of the nest all the way
to brazil and tending to my heart with a huge scoop of vanilla haagen
dazs and chocolate syrup every night.

as i stepped away from my calorie laden addiction, i made a firm commit-
ment to myself:

no more ice cream fiestas after dinner
as many fruits and vegetables as i can stand
low carb for dinner
drastically smaller portions but every 3-4 hours during the day
lots of exercise, weight training, and water

at first, it was very uncomfortable. i made myself stop eating even when

i still wanted "more, please." but, amazingly, just one month later i am

enjoying satisfying and nutritious meals but am no longer able to eat

large portions. my stomach now tells me, "no more, please."

i am also adjusting to my new life with hans, which includes bike rides,

long walks, travel, and very soon a trip to brazil to see our sweet daughter!

and yes, my jeans fit quite comfortably again. no way, i'm telling the size!

love,

lea

"on this mountain the Lord will prepare a feast of rich food for all

people, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest

of wines." isaiah 25:6

how to cook without a cookbook

2010-10-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

one of the trickiest parts in raising five children was the

cooking. breakfast alone required a giant skillet, a dozen eggs,
an entire package of bacon, 16 ounces of cheese, one loaf of
homemade whole wheat bread, a carton of orange juice, seven
knives, forks, spoons, plates and glasses.

it was tempting to say, "and a partridge in a pear tree."

dinner could be daunting, and i resorted to a great deal more

'assembling' than fine cooking. to make matters worse, i didn't

seem to be able to follow a recipe.

if the book said, "sautee the onion for 15 minutes until sweet

and tender, i would think, "an onion can't really be all that

necessary."

when my friends would say, " don't you just love julia child's

cookbook?", i would stare blankly at them and wonder, "who in

the world is julia child?"

forget about that "joy of cooking book." "for the white cream

sauce, go to page 27. add the sauce to the roasted pheasant on

page 1,378." it gave me carpal tunnel to complete any recipe.

one evening while hans let our little sinners run all over the local

mall, i spied the holy grail of cookbooks. "how to cook without

a book." the author preached about a foolproof gospel of saved

ingredients to usher any soup or pasta sauce into heaven. it was
the answer to all my prayers.

here's the basic formula:

sautee one onion. season, please.
add one pound of meat
one pound of vegetables
one pound of a starch (potatoes, rice, pasta, etc.)
one quart of stock (chicken goes best with chicken, etc.)
add any spices or seasoning in your cupboard.

simmer as long as you want but less than one week. :)
this wonderful book has easy formulas for many dishes,
but the soup has saved my life.

love,
lea

"oh taste and see that the Lord is good!" psalm 34:8

ps. what in the world is going on with the font and
how do you underline, again?

the art of simplification

2010-10-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

last night as i went through my mental prayer list i thought, "if i can't
remember all the people who have requested prayer, then i have let too
many into my life."

google image

i don't even know if i agree with that, but in my exhaustion it made
sense. if someone is not important enough to recall them in my
prayers, then i shouldn't have let them think i would pray.

the tricky part is that i now have as many friends here, that i have
never seen, as i do in my day to day life. last night as we were putting
groceries away, i heard myself say, "my friend joan posted the most
beautiful photo of a budding flower that looked just like a candle to
celebrate her anniversary."

hans didn't say it, but i know he thought, "does she have a friend
named joan?"

"yes! she lives in australia, and i visit her almost every day."

i was starting to sound like our daughter hailey, who when three
had imaginary friends named sarah and ashley. ashley smoked
cigarettes! :)

my point is that i am going to be more purposeful in my visiting
and praying . . . and promise of praying. then i won't feel guilty
at night for perhaps forgetting someone. i will just be convicted
of all the other terrible things i do!

love,
lea

"let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up
of my hands as the evening sacrifice." psalm 141:2

a fake and a fraud

2010-10-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

i'm not a party girl, more of a wallflower, but we have hosted three
parties in as many weeks. i feel like roadkill.

before each event, i have great intentions to clean my house from
top to bottom and bring order to my chaos but always end up
stuffing papers, shoes, and pillows into my office.

at the last party, and i mean the very LAST party, my friend walked
into my ~~dump~~ office and came back to the table with a challenge to
my sainthood. :)

"you are a fake and a fraud."

"what?" i thought she was referring to the fake four carat canary
diamond on my happy finger.

"i read the post about your beautifully ordered office, and what i just
saw is a mess! you are misleading your gentle readers."

whew! the ring is safe for another day. the office is . . . well,
just an office.

love,
lea

"but everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."
I corinthians 14:40

50 push ups for me!

2010-10-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

my friend margaret, at single and sane, wrote the most inspirational essay
on the beauty of not being too thin. it was music to my chubby ears, as
it is apparently a tiny bit healthier to be a tiny bit heavier. woo hoo!

this coincided with my first two weeks of a diet and almost sabotaged it,
but i held firm to my new standard. no cheesecake after midnight.

i also walk everywhere i go . . . in the house and am really into pushups,
especially the orange cream ones or the victoria secret ones.

honest to goodness, i was going to write a serious treatise on my lifestyle
changes, but it all of sudden started to seem so funny. today, after trying
on too many pants that were still TOO tight, i spotted a tiny sign at the
bottom of the dressing room mirror.

"we want you to be beautiful."

well, they should have dimmed the lights.

love,
lea

"all is vanity." ecclesiastes 1:2

five times the grace!

2010-09-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

last night i lay in bed praying for you and the eminent birth of your sweet #5.
i even awoke from a dream praying for you. see how much the Lord loves
you?

i have a special affinity for you now that we both will have five children. it
is the number of grace and redemption in the bible. here are a few illustrations
of the number five.

historians maintain that the israelites marched out of egypt in ranks of five.

david picked up five smooth stones. I samuel 17:40

the Lord told abram to sacrifice five animals (heifer, goat, ram, dove, and
pigeon.) genesis 15:9

when God changed abram's name to abraham, He added the fifth letter.

"five of you will chase 100 . . ." leviticus 26:8

i know my kids have grown fond of pretending you might name this
precious one "nickel." :) nickel, obviously, stands for five shiny pennies
and is a silvery-white metal.

"and the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace
of clay, purified seven times." psalm 12:6

no pressure. :)

love,
lea

the resurrection of jackie sweeter

2010-09-28T12:23:00.001-07:00

we Christians do not all have the exact same beliefs. even the apostle
paul acknowledged that there are so many differences in the church,
we should just agree on Christ's resurrection and not worry about the
rest.

believe it or not, i have a resurrection story that involves our youngest
daughter's hamster, the venerable jackie sweeter. she loved that little
guy to death, literally. he was stone cold dead, on his back, feet in the
air.

until he hopped back up and got back inside that maniacal wheel.
you might call it his wheel of fortune.

unfortunately, a few days later he died again, permanently, and seven
year old hailey was broken hearted. she wrote a lovely funeral program
including a moving tribute to both his lives and deaths.

as you might imagine, she was very reluctant to let us bury him.

love,
lea

"listen, i tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be
changed." 1 corinthians 15:51

"bows and flows of angel hair"

2010-09-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

i love the fact that though i am frail, impetuous, and self centered, the Lord
is never disillusioned with me. as the saying goes, "He never had any
illusions to start with." i also know that every moment spent with Him
softens and fills in those rough edges and empty spaces.

He might not have had any illusions, but i sure did! i thought i could be
the perfect wife and mother. joni mitchell summed it up nicely, "i really
don't know life at all."

i wonder how many of my unrealistic expectations hindered my most
precious relationships? what made me think i could expect 'that' of him
or her? "many of the cruel things of life spring from the fact we suffer
from illusions." (oswald chambers)

on the other hand, susan boyle had a dream and now is singing in front
the pope. joseph of the many colored coat saw each of his dreams
fulfilled but waited years in prison for them.

maybe we should dream our dreams and then offer them to the Lord. i
imagine the ones that could really 'be' will get offered back. "God is
most glorified in me when i am satisfied in Him" (john piper) . . .

whether or not all my dreams are realized.

love,
lea

"in the last days, God says, i will pour out my Spirit on all people. your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your
old men will dream dreams." acts 2:17

NC-17 for "doubt"

2010-09-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

i think there should be an emotional rating for some movies. take
"doubt", for instance. that story was laced with so many disturbing
themes, it kept me up for nights. (i slept like a baby after all the
"final destination" movies.)

here's what ate at me the most. though we were supposed to hate
the critical sister, she was probably correct with her suspicion that
the catholic priest was a pedophile. my anguish stemmed from the
witch hunt after his charming and sympathetic character.

the dilemma increased when he displayed some arrogant and
condescending tendencies. "wait! i thought i was supposed to
like him!" the judgmental sister was harsh and conniving, on one
hand, but surprisingly perceptive and sensitive, on the other.

oh, the twists and turns.

when the poor mother was informed that her son was probably in
an unhealthy relationship with the catholic father, she thought that
was better than getting a beating from his own father.

aaaaaaargh! by the end of this movie, i felt as terrible as the old,
mean sister looked.

love,
lea

"therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
matthew 10:16b

rain, rain everywhere, and not a cab in sight

2010-09-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

hans was desperate to catch a cab out of new york last week. it was
raining cats and dogs with an added tornado or two but no cabs in which
to take refuge.

google image of times square

the streets were lined with drenched people, hands raised in futility for
a dry ride. a few others were pushing their 'cart' homes, apparently
indifferent to the downpour.

a lone cabbie inched by carefully ignoring the hoards, so hans took a
chance. "excuse me, sir, could you take me uptown?"

google image of new york cab

"well, i'll tell you. i'm in a mood as foul as this weather, but because
you were so polite, yes sir, hop in." he reminded me of the aesop quote,
"no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

what the cabbie didn't know is that hans had spent two intensive days
in denver meetings, hopped a plane to return me home, then caught
another plane to take him on to new york, arriving at one in the morning.
at seven the next morning he presented at a conference for eight hours.

exhausted and soaked to the bone, he was trying to meet his brother
who was recovering from surgery and then to catch his third plane in
two days to bring him home to me on yet another red eye.

i could just kiss that cabbie. . . but don't tell hans.

love,
lea

"with good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men."
ephesians 6:7

terror by day

2010-09-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

janette, vee, and my friend from HHL have all inspired me with their
incredibly vulnerable blogs. why does it make us feel better when
someone else is struggling?

i think it's because our own battles are somehow validated. one of my
conflicts is the fear of flying, something i have to do a lot.

google image

this past week we took off from the beautiful denver airport on a
glorious indian summer day. unfortunately, the warm air combined
with the mountain updrafts created a turbulent 'sit op.' the pilot
followed a bizarre flight pattern for 20 minutes, flying only 1,000 feet
above the ground. did i say flying?

i meant bouncing and careening.

on top of that (no pun intended), we were piddling around at 300
miles per hour, half the normal speed. it felt like riding a bucking
bronco in slow motion . . . endlessly. the terror smothered me as i
imagine the hood used to stifle the victim before his hanging.

the Lord and i have been in this situation thousands of times and
He knows me so well. His word comforted my heart, even though
my mind was still a little undone.

"fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you. I will UPHOLD you with
my righteous right hand." isaiah 41:10

hans encouraged me with good common sense, "it's only bumpy
air. close your eyes and imagine an old gravel road. the plane can
easily handle this." but could i?

now i feel ashamed of my terror, my weakness, myself. maybe,
though, it will make you feel a little better about yours.

love,
lea

all for nature

2010-09-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

tonight hans and i hosted a fundraiser for the nature conservancy, mainly
for our tall grass prairie, the largest in the world. hans calls it the reasonable
man's approach to conservation. we don't throw buckets of paint on anyone.

in the pre-party panic i always experience, i hid in our quiet pantry and sent
the kids a furtive message, "your dad is about to get in a fight with the city
newspaper, because they want us to take a photo outside in the 95 degree
weather."

"mom! are you hiding in the pantry?"

hans won, and we took the picture in our living room. i'm pretty sure
we will look like the bison of our tall grass prairie, as the photographer
will have his revenge.

one of the most famous nature conservancy photographers gave me
permission to post some of his gorgeous tall grass prairie photos on my
humble blog! i'll place them by our photo in a few days, and let you
judge who's the scruffiest.

in the same living room, i happened upon a woman leaning over her
husband who was grey as an old mare and shaking with sweaty palms.
she said, "he's probably fine, but he has really high blood pressure."

after the ambulance left with him, she turned back and said, "thank you
very much for having us. we had a lovely time."

creepy.

"did you have to call for the firetrucks, too?" hans was just curious.

before i could answer, the most adorable 85 year old man (think fred
astaire but imagine the largest land owner in our state) came whistling
out the door. so cute . . . with a wine bottle hidden behind him. he had
told me earlier that his wife, who was home with a 'bug', was feeling
much better.

"she felt well enough to go to the beauty parlor." :)

home, home on the range . . .

love,
lea

awkward family photos

2010-09-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

dear emily,

i'm probably going to get in trouble with someone, but desperate times
call for desperate measures. whenever i really need to be cheered up,
i suspect others might, too. here are some of my favorite photos from
"awkward family photos."

"will you marry me, alice?"

"only if we can have our bridal party photo in our favorite tree."

"or if we can use your mom's awesome draperies."

"and if you go to billy ray's barber."

love,

lea

"God has brought me laughter, and everyone who

hears about this will laugh with me."

genesis 21:6

fried chicken, baby!

2010-09-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

i am in such a pickle, because that darling kim from field of dreams
has shared so many endearing stories about her beloved chickens.
they feel like family to me now.

on top of that, her newest batch of chickens is the sweetest one of all.
my dilemma, you ask?

fried chicken is about my favorite food! i could eat it morning, noon,
and night. the guilt is killing me. please don't tell kim about my
'fowlibalistic' tendencies when you visit her.

she thinks i love her precious hens so much i could just eat them up
but doesn't realize i am actually doing that. :)

love,
the fantastic mrs. fox

ps. "for everything God created is good (food), and nothing is to
be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving . . ." 1 timothy 4:4

some day

2010-09-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

i'm linking up with the red dress club to write a letter to our younger
selves.

dear younger lea,

i know you think you're fat, because there is a tiny jiggle behind
you, but you're NOT. some day you WILL be, so try to enjoy
that cute little figure while you have it.

it makes you feel prettier to be as tan as a piece of leather, but
some day that's what your skin will look like . . . only worse.
put on sunscreen.

be kind to everyone. some day you may work for one of them.

think sweet thoughts, and you will say sweet words. some day
you may have to eat them.

love,
your much older self

"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable . . . think on
such things." philippians 4:8

thank you! and 'friday pretties!'

2010-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

it seems i always have something for which to be grateful here.
your prayers and encouragement have lifted me above the tide
that would have swept over me at my daughter's departure. if
you knew how precious she is, you would understand our terrible
loss and brazil's great gain. the Light seems to find her.

many of you left the kindest comments and prayers after my last

entreaty, but i received the most input about gwendolyn's eloquent

one. if you have time to visit her, you will be comforted and inspired.

friday is the day we look forward to joyce's 'pretties.' it astounds me to
see the beauty of God's creation presented for us to enjoy at all the lovely
blogs who participate.

my 'pretty' is from our beloved colorado. the same God who formed

this majestic mountain,

set the seed for a delicate white blossom.

"for the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.

in His hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to Him."

psalm 95:3,4

love,

lea