Updates, Learnings and a Slippery Fish. Written in ADD Style.

A large slippery invisible fish smacks me upside 

my head about every three days or so. 

The reminder to me being....

SEE, I told you that your kids learn not from what you preach 

but from what your behavior is! 

After God delivered the Israelite's out of slavery in Egypt, 

He instructed the parents: 

 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, 

when you walk by the way, when you lie down, 

and when you rise up.

 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NKJV

I Woke Up at 4:00 Am. My mind is running rampant. It's the ADD. Or the artist in me. Or the overwhelming stuff that is going on in our lives. OR.....

Life is happening, ugghhh, and right when I'm trying to live it.

The Parable of the Sower. Mark 4:1-9

Ellee's Surgery is looming. More than that. It's heading at us like a Mack Truck. Getting ready proves to be more complicated than expected. Stairs need to be ramped. Pea rocks need to be spread. Phone calls to be made. "No water" shampoos and more need to be purchased. Dogs groomed. Love notes sneaked into toiletries, a trip to Build-a-Bear. (Anyone in our family who is in the hospital overnight gets a build-a-bear. Duh.) (Hey, it used to be a live bunny, how do you think we ended up with a farm!) And of course, anything that can break in this house, is breaking. It's a lot.  I risk damage to my connective tissue just thinking about it all. I need to organize the pantry and my junk drawer, or the surgery is not even allowed to happen.

David and Goliath 1 Samuel 17-56

Toof-iss surgery was yesterday. My messed up connective tissue has had a lackadaisical party in my mouth without my permission. They say I will be wobbly and out of it for two days afterward. My husband was and still is in Ohio. He loves and needs to take care of his precious mom as she battles severe heart problems. I want him there. My man is of character and honor. I think of how hard it must be to discern who's bed to be beside, your sick moms' or your sick wifes'. This whole season is growing me tremendously. And I will be so much better for it. All the glory goes to God.

My best friend is such a gift from God. PLEASE No videos while I'm in-cohesive I asked. I trust her, I think.
I was worried that I might demand a pet Zebra or slobber
uncontrollably all over her. The surgery prep papers said no major machinery should be operated or no major decisions made. Dang, there goes my plan of donating our house and moving a tiny house onto the corner edge of our property.  I did, however, decide to stay with Jason for the rest of my life though. So I did good. This morning my son came to me and asked what I did to Sue. "HUH!??" I don't know?! WHAT did I do to Sue...?? I love her, I hope nothing too bad! He said she sat by my bed while I was asleep after bringing me home from surgery. Every single time she got up to go I said, "You aren't leaving me are you!" No wonder she called me later in the night to ask if she should spend the night! If you personally know this angel, you know that she will do ANYTHING for ANYONE. This was proven again awhile back when she offered to squeeze my dogs anal glands. EEwwwww. WHO DOES THAT! Early this morning the stories of MY slightly strange BEHAVIOR come out one after another from my kids. What in the world, I just slept all day....right? My son said that I convinced my best friend to go to all the milk shake venues plus Starbucks! I got out of the car against the rules. Apparently I spent forever ordering every single topping possible, one by one by one.  When I was done I stood there and stared to the left. The cashier ask me if I was done.  Apparently I responded, "I can see through the side of my head."  I also back-talked her. I'm not sure I'm seeing anything odd here.....just now she just showed up to drive my daughter to class. She said, "I enjoyed our alone time together.") UUURRRGGHHHH......she's sooooo funny.

Come visit deeper inside my head. My brains are too big. I have to wear a neck brace often just to hold them up!

Apparently my neck can not support my head. My doctors say its because of the arthritis, loose joints and nerve damage. I'm stickin' with my story. Clearly My Brains are Too Big. If you were to step inside my head you would most likely feel like you were the director of the circus, the repair person of the Ferris wheel and  the main jouster in a live medieval reenactment. Plus in a lion's den. The monkeys scream that I must create at every moment. I personally know why Van Gogh cut off his ear. Plus he must have kept misplacing his pencil. That drives me crazy. I know that I will never, ever be able to paint, draw and craft the bazillion visions that I have in my head. I dream of living in the mountains. I would paint over looking a river.

Majestic, playful giraffes would be wading in the water.  It would be a bonus if they would peak into my oversize window to watch me too. Most of all though, I require my friends and church family. That's all that matters to me. My book will happen. It might not be finished until the fat lady sings though.

I stop and pray extensively. I praise God. My blessings are infinite. Discovering the blessings that surround me is the best "waking up" ever! Ever since my eyes opened to all the glorious promises and blessings that surround me it is so easy peasy to praise Him.

Matthew 3:16-17

In fact, it is hard not to praise Him continually! God knows my heart. He knows I want to praise him so much. For our 50th birthdays this year my husband gifted both of us with a huge cruise around Greece. I got excited. I'd wake up having dreams of  exotic birds and their songs filling the air. I hate the bird. I love the song. My short hair and my crutch would be dangling in the wind while we floated by the Parthenon Temple. A photographers dream. Recently, though,  the Holy Spirit honored me and blessed me with making it easy to cancel our trip. My intense urge to count my kids first has and always will always dominate. And once again, I praise God, because that's how it should be for any mommma. Ellee learning to walk again will be my pure joy to facilitate. I will revel in the joy of her not having to know so much pain in her future.

She will struggle with a life time of pain never the less, but at least not as much from her hips. Also my other sunshine (my oldest) will be graduating from college this semester. YES! Her struggles have been real. But her blessings were realer. All glory goes to the Lord as she has traveled a path of pain, betrayal. grace, forgiveness, conquering, glory, peace and joy. She is a joyful and privileged woman that is a fine example to her younger siblings. There was a point where her daddy and I actually tinkled with the thought that just maybe she would be a circus ring leader due to her vivacious command and creativity. Perhaps a submarine driver due to her extreme love of strange things or at least a mystery shopper-because of the humongous love of spending her parents money. But as God knows best and worked all her stuff together for good-she has mastered psychology and math and loving the Lord.
Oh how joyous if I looked out my window and there were

Hadedas ( "haa-haa-haa-de-dah.") They are boisterous birds that stir up both love and hate for the people in South Africa. They stirred up fascination and joy for me. Their song is a high pitched squawk. They are huge and beautiful. At least in my mind. I miss my children in Mozambique. I pray that the loving I did on them lasts forever; but that it translates into God's love for them.

I love warthogs too. They are so cute and weird.

My son, at 2O got his GED (general equivalency diploma.) We tried to force him. We attempted to bribe him. We tried to give him consequences. Getting along in this cruel world is nearly impossible without an education is what we tell our kids. But God revealed to me that it is OK that all my kids are on their own path and that I must appreciate it and honor it. What a revelation. I was convicted that I stumbled in my faith that God has a perfect plan. Time to celebrate. He came to his own understanding that he must finish high school. And he finally did it. Praise God. My other kids are thriving with higher education. My husband and I taught our kids that after 12th grade comes college. Not  the question; "What are you gonna do when your 18." But God taught us that He will guide our kids. Not us.  

Ever been cranky then realized that your under-roos are too tight. The simple things are sometimes the most irritating. But I thanked God that it was a distraction with a quick fix.

An advertisement for crutches came up randomly just now. Distraction number 38 and it's only 7:30 am. Yep, had to peruse it. Dang. Now I'm thinking of my oldest observing spiders on the ceiling while doing school work when she was home schooling.  Now at 24 she "zebra's" everywhere. I should have been more pro-active in helping her flaming' ADD. As God is always good, He used it to strengthen her and teach her how to persevere despite the distractions.

Mozambique

Home made bread wafts the atmosphere. My oldest son is quite the chef. Are you kidding me! I'm eating it, can't stop me. With butter. I'll take bread over sweets anytime. I now crave everything I haven't been able to eat in a year and a half. I'm having a hard time eating what's right for my Gastroparesis. Remission is amazing. My angry spinchtor has taken a respite! I'm thinking we all  scared it off with prayer and faith. Time to encourage my husband. He is a strict business-like-take charge in handling the rude doctors and getting stuff in order for his parents. I fear, though, that "business-like" replaces and enables his sadness to be tucked away. But what do I know. God's in charge. My "good wife" urgency and desire has kicked in full force during this precarious time. I am praying' that God will let me stay well enough to do my job. He wants His wives to be Abigail's. I wonder why I'm not as supportive and loving ALL the time. God is teaching both of us along the way. He makes good out of bad and we are witnessing it before our own eyes. Thank God I know this now. How stubborn I was in "know it all attitude." If only, if only, I would have chosen NOT chosen to dillydally so long in my black hole of depression. I beg of you my children, learn from me! 
Slugs. Gross but really unique and cool. My mind is a sess pool of perfume and lion taming.
But I like it more them math.

I long to be an Abigail to my Jason

Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” 

1 Samuel 25:2-44 NKJV

Not such a cohesive blog. I'm sorry. Not really.  I am spent, physically and emotionally. But my family needs me. And I will be there for them come hell or high water.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 Romans 8:28 NKJV

This is for you Grandma! Enjoy!

All crayon drawings by me. We used them in a mural in Mozambique.