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Saturday, 29 November 2008

  • Saturday Mornings

    I love that quiet time on Saturday mornings when no one else has awakened, except the dog.  He's already gone out and placed his mark on our backyard, ensuring all who pass by know he's the boss.

    These are the few, cherished moments that allow me to think a little more clearly.  Mike, Caroline and Kristen are usually snuggled in their beds still, and I find great comfort in that.  It's a rare occasion when they're all here at the same time. 

    Raising my cup of coffee to a quiet morning.

Friday, 28 November 2008

  • From my Facebook - Boycott XMAS!

    I suppose this is much easier for me to write since my daughters are no longer children, but I have to say, I think everyone should boycott the commercial, life-sucking, meaningless season I'll refer to as XMAS.

    I was reading the news about the 34-year old Walmart employee who was trampled - YES TRAMPLED - this morning by Black Friday shoppers. I can't totally blame the shoppers for the frenzy created by Black Friday. The stores and the media feed us all, and by the time it comes around, we're convinced we absolutely have to do our part to save the US economy. I certainly made a meager contribution this afternoon, but after i'd missed the frenzied "price buster" bargains earned after waiting in line outside and inside the stores.

    XMAS is all about X-cess. It's about who has the most lights on the house, how much we get, making sure our children have all the latest toys and gadgets because we all know they'd be damaged for life if they didn't get something at the age of two that everyone else had. XMAS is about Xtreme behaviors - greed and rudeness and literally fighting someone for that last game system or digital photo frame.

    We've always tried to establish a different value within our own family. We rarely had the money to buy whatever the "coolest toy" was, and if we didn't have the money, we didn't use credit to buy it anyway. We tried to teach our girls the importance of giving and being thankful. It's not to say we have ever been perfect parents, but when it comes to CHRISTmas, I can say my girls truly understand the importance of giving AND receiving.

    I remember one Christmas season when Mike was in seminary. We were living on around $14,000 a year (family of 4). Caroline was in kindergarten, and Kristen was 3 years old. Mike was working second shift, so I took the girls over to the local mall to see Santa Claus. Kristen was in awe of Santa, and when she climbed on his lap, she didn't say much. Caroline, on the other hand was ready to give her wish to him. I was worried, as I knew whatever she wanted was probably not going to be under the tree that year. I was surprised to hear the following exchange:

    Santa: What do you want for Christmas?

    Caroline: A Dream Bride Barbie

    Santa: What else do you want?

    Caroline: Nothing else, just a Dream Bride Barbie.

    As she climbed off Santa's lap and went to get her treat, Santa looked at me and said, "Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"

    And I did know how lucky I was, how truly blessed that my girls hadn't expected anything, but were grateful for everything they got.

    They're still that way.

    I think we've always tried to boycott XMAS at our house, but this year, especially, I refuse to give into the pull of greed and excess and SAY NO!

Saturday, 18 October 2008

  • Where's the time gone??

    I haven't disappeared, but I have been facebooking - yes Cindy, I'm on Facebook.  Not sure what my name is on there - email me - bpharris1013@comcast.net, and I'll figure out how to friend you.

    Let's see, what's been going on??

    Other than standing on the verge of a deep, dark pit of depression, I'm doing fine.  Seriously, I believe I've always been just a few steps away from a pretty black hole.  I've never read the book Battlefield of the Mind, but trust me when I say I fully realize that it's a battlefield.  You know how Paul says in the epistles "I die daily"?  I have to slaughter the tendency to give in daily.

    How?   By realizing there's purpose and fulfillment in the life God's called me to. 

    If I get to the point where I can't be moved by that honest and gracious reminder, I'll go to prescription meds .

    Caroline and I were talking, and she told me about a new David Crowder song she discovered called "Everything Glorious."  I laughed when she told me she's been playing it nonstop since last Sunday because it was on my car cd player, repeated several times.  What a great reminder -

    Everything Glorious by David Crowder

    The day is brighter here with You
    The night is lighter than its hue
    Would lead me to believe
    Which leads me to believe
    You make everything glorious
    You make everything glorious
    You make everything glorious
    And I am Yours
    What does that make me?

    My eyes are small but they have seen
    the beauty of enormous things
    Which leads me to believe
    there's light enough to see that
    You make everything glorious
    You make everything glorious
    You make everything glorious
    And I am Yours

    From glory to glory
    You are glorious You are glorious
    From glory to glory
    You are glorious. You are glorious
    Which leads me to believe
    why I can believe that
    You make everything glorious
    You make everything glorious
    You make everything glorious
    And I am Yours

Saturday, 27 September 2008

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    You know, people can rant and rave about how "hot" Johnny Depp is, or any other number of contemporary stars, but I'd take this guy for his looks AND his acting ability any day.  They just don't make them like this anymore.

    RIP, Paul Newman.

Sunday, 24 August 2008

  • Home (and out the door again)

    We got home safely last night, unpacked our bags in the garage (in case of hitchhikers from MS), and then went to bed.  It felt good to be home, to get clean, to brush my teeth without using a water bottle, to flush my toilet paper again, and to sleep on my own bed.  It felt good to see my faithful little puppy, Tigger, so happy to see me.

    When I think back on last week, there are so many thoughts.  We again heard powerful stories.  And we saw such devastation.  I recall someone last year saying, for the first six months we kept wondering when it would get back to the way it used to be, and then we realized it would never be the way it used to be.

    I watched a group of people sitting in a circle outside the distribution center on Wednesday.  They were waiting for the center to open so they could get supplies.  There was such fellowship and joy in that little circle of people.  They sat around laughing and talking about their lives.  It was striking to me how people from all different places and walks of life were finding community in a circle of folding chairs out in the warm Mississippi sun.

    Wednesday night service, Mrs. Redford told her story.  She spoke of the floods and the weeks following the hurricane.  She talked about walking through knee deep mud several miles until people could find her.  She talked about walking to Waveland once a week to get water and food and how she took a shower once a month.  Mrs. Redford is 76 years old with Parkinson's.  To read more about Mrs. Redford, go to Mrs. Redford's Shotgun at rebuildlakeshore.com.  There's a video with her telling the story at the site.

    I'm off to California for work tomorrow night, returning on Saturday. 

    After trips like this, I realize how far we've come, and how far I have to go to be a better follower of Christ.

    Oh, and can I say I LOVE THE TEENAGE AND YOUNG LADIES OF THE JOURNEY?  They are amazing, funny, smart, sweet, sassy, creative, and hungry to learn.