Remembering to Play

The other day I allowed myself the luxury of playing in the pool with my children. I frequently "lounge" in the pool, floating, relaxing and reading an occasional book. But as I watched Anna and Jake pretend to be dolphins frolicking in the "surf". It came to me, that I was missing out. So to their surprise after fixing a poolside picnic. I did a cannon ball. When I surfaced, the both looked at me giggling and exclaiming... "Mom you got your hair wet!" was from Anna and Jake, well of course he commented on the size of my splash.
So, for the next two hours we played. My children reminded me how liberating it is to dive under the water, to do a hand stand and to just be in the moment. I think as we get older, we get so busy planing the course of the day, week or even month and we forget to be in the now. So I have made a pack with myself to play, not just go through the motions but to really play. To allow my inner child to express herself. I know Anna and Jake had a great time swimming. I also know "little me" had a great time and can't wait to come out to play again soon.

State Folding

I live in Chesapeake Virginia. I have been in this area since my 13Th birthday. I went to high school and college here. I am blessed to have worked for the same company for 19 years. My friends and church are close and awesome. There is one thing I would change... if I could. No I would not make the beaches less crowded. I wouldn't make the summers less humid.Heck I wouldn't even make sweet tea our state drink. What I would do is make the proximity of Virginia closer to both Florida and New Jersey. My mother has come up this ingenious idea. We just haven't figured out how to implement it. We call it state folding. What we would do it connect New Jersey to Virgina and Virgina to Florida. Now for those of you in the states of Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, we apologize for the inconvenience. We just need to be closer. We could help relocate you. If you are west coast... you too could try it. In fact any state that does not interfere with our plan is welcome to help with research and development.This past weekend I had the luxury (and I am being sincere)- luxury to have my sister and her family, my parents and my other sister all in for the weekend. I cannot tell you what a wonderful weekend I had. I felt happy and complete. I just wish my family was closer so we could enjoy each other more often. For those of you separated from your family by miles my heart goes out to you. Please take the time to pick up the phone, or write and email or letter and let your family know you love and care for them. If you like the idea of state foldingand your family wouldn't objet send them to my blog and let's get working on it... If they live in Maryland or one of the other for mentioned states.... ask them to consider relocating... I'm only kidding but if I could ... I would.

Rights of Passage

Goodness this summer is flying by. The kids have been busy all summer long and I am convinced that as they get older, it only gets worse. My oldest is 11 1/2, she like many her age is in that awkward tween stage. She is caught between girl and young lady. Unfortunately the media and peers are pulling her towards the latter. She wants a cell phone, new camera, to go to friends houses instead of being at home. I can remember this stage, wondering why my mother was plotting against me by not allowing me to wear make-up, or get my ears pierced. There was an appropriate time. "Elizabeth if I let you do it all now-you will have nothing to look forward to." she exclaimed.
Well I have given in, I allowed Anna to shave her legs, she had what I would call light hair on her But for at least 6 months I have heard "Mom look at it-it's gross." and "Its so dark!" So today I had her draw a bath and I taught her how to shave her legs. I made sure to point out to take it slow around the ankles and knees. To be sure to make sure to wet the razor, and to moisturize with lotion afterwards to keep her legs from drying. She was excited and even allowed me the privilege of feeling how silky they were afterwards.
If you are wondering what the right of passage was, it was really not about Anna shaving, it was about me, letting go a little. Allowing her to begin to make some of her own choices and then teaching her the proper way to complete the task. Next will be make-up I guess. I suppose she will seem to young then too. She is a beautiful girl inside and out. I cannot imagine she will ever need make-up. But I know the day is coming. I will take her to the mall, and have an "expert" help us choose the most natural look. She will walk out as proud as a peacock, and I a little prouder of the beautiful girl who is becoming a young lady.

Encouragement

WOW! I have a fellow blogger named Edie that proofs my work from time to time. She gives me tons of encouragement and advice on how to improve my writing and blog. She tells me of new blog sites to visit, how to track who's looking at my posts and ways to improve my writing. She most recently turned me on to a blog that....promotes blogs. It's a sisterhood of sorts with all kinds of creative ladies. I have gotten great downloads, decorating ideas and recipes. The site is.... over there to the right (click on it to check it out). What do you call that? The sidebar?It's amazing. Last night I jumped from blog to blog looking at great writing, neat downloads and overall really talented ladies.

At first I felt inadequate after viewing these sites. I mean who would want to read about my inner thinking's when there is free download-able scrapbook paper on a blog. But then I remembered the reason I blog: to encourage others, to help others see the good and beauty of this world through everyday occurrences. So come on back, I will continue to let you in on my thoughts and I will keep you updated with new blogs I am following.

10 Degrees

Once again I find it has been longer than I would like between posts. However, my hope is to win your interest with the quality of my work, not quantity (lol). Today's post has been a work that has evolved....over the course of days, weeks, heck even months.

When my children were younger, we would frequently go to the beach with friends. First, we were at their sides holding little hands to prevent them being tossed around by incoming waves. As they grew, the adults migrated up the beach to dry sand, our eyes were still fixed on their precious little bodies. We would give firm directions and point to the spot we had laid claim to on the warm sand. "Stay in front of our blanket". "Don't talk to strangers". And, lastly, "No deeper than waist high". They nodded intent of following our directions; however, as they began to play, they would drift of course ever so slightly. Not a big deal if corrected but, over a long period of time, that gentle drift can turn into a mighty current that takes you off course and in a completely different direction than originally planned.



I am trying to stay on course, eyes firmly set on the horizon a constant in an uncertain world. I hope you are having a wonderful summer and that you are taking time to enjoy the little things, like lightening bugs and longer days spent outside doing something you love, hopefully with someone you love.

Anchor's Away

Wow... sorry I have been gone so long. Summer is in full swing around our house, end-of-year parties are over and the "summer games" have begun. The children are at camp this week with my parents. Every year they have all the grandchildren for a week of memory making. It is really cool -- the kids just love Poppie's Summer Camp.

I have just returned from a trip with one of my best friends, Tracy. We went to a Beth Moore conference. For those of you who do not know Beth, she is a Christian Bible teacher. Tracy and I had purchased our tickets last October. When you register for one of Beth's conferences, you don't know the topic that Beth will speak on until the day of the conference. Once again, I was floored at how the Lord knew exactly what both Tracy and I needed to hear. Beth's message was on the Perfect Storm.

In a nutshell, she tied her lesson to Acts 27:13. Paul is on his way to meet with Cesar. He had been arressted and was jailed and part of Roman law, included that he could meet with Ceasar. Paul knew the request would most likely result in his death. However Paul knew Rome was the epicenter of the world at the time, and he needed to deliver the message of Jesus Christ to reach as many non-believers as possible. And Rome was the place to do it! On his journey by ship, he and his captors encounterd a terrible storm.

In her teaching, Beth recounted Paul’s actions, and ultimately discussed what we all must do when we encounter the storms of life.

One of the most profound things she mentioned was cutting ropes, letting go of things that will keep us ensnared during storms. For Paul it was one of the anchors keeping them from crashing into the rocky coastline, but also preventing him from reaching his destination and achieving his goal. For us it can be people, or relationships, that prevent us from reaching our full potential. I am closely evaluating myself and my relationships, making sure nothing is keeping me from reaching the safe harbor that awaits me.

Okay God-I got the message

Don't know about you, but I am constantly asking God to "show me a sign" so I know that I am making the right choice when faced all sorts of decisions. I really try hard to do the "right thing" and make my decisions based on my faith and beliefs. I often fall short of my goal. But I try.

Recently, I have had to do a lot of soul searching. I have prayed and have asked God to help align my head and my heart. I have asked to have things added to my life, taken away....and of course my "sign". Well people, let me tell you, never in my life have I had so many signs for this one specific situation....yes, plural s-i-g-n-s in my life. I think God must be up there thinking "if she doesn't get this one, I am going to have to recall her". My signs have been so obvious. It is impossible not to see God's will in my life. I have a great peace knowing my choices are the right ones. Not my will but His. The amazing thing is overall, because of my obedience, other areas of my life are falling into place. I have an assurance about the decisions I am making. So for those of you constantly wanting a sign. Be still, continue to lift your prayers and concerns to God and He will answer you.

Change of Scenery

This week has been difficult to say the least. I have made several attempts at writing a new post, and each time I get side tracked or the post doesn't make sense to me-the writer. So here we go at my attempt for the week.

Today I am working at a different hospital. I have to say this has been the most enjoyable day of my work week. The work flow has been manageable, there has been no discord among the work team and I had the chance to sit outside and eat lunch. The area was outside the cafeteria, it had comfortable chairs and a view of the most beautiful rose garden. I love to look at a rose garden. The variety of colors, smells and textures intoxicate me.

As I walked around the rose garden I realized that roses are much like friends. There are abundant varities of both. Best friends for example, stay with you forever- like the hardy knockout rose-you can over water, under water and prune without regard of timing or technique and it remains beautiful. There are friends that serve a specific purpose for a certain period to time- like the climbing rose that is wonderful outside, but if cut the petals drop leaving an unimpressive stem. There are friends that are disease and drought tolerant. They will be with you during good times and bad. They are deeply rooted in the friendship. These friends remain strong and beautiful even when you cause them pain or disappoint them.

I don't know what kind of rose I am, but I hope that people who look at the outside, get to know and like what they see on the inside.

Dishes for Jesus.

I was struggling with a pile of dishes on my kitchen counter. It was not my mess and I was bound and determined not to clean it up. The only person it was bothering was me.

The bible study class I attend is very diverse, we have ladies of all ages and at different stages of their journey with God. As I was sitting in class, one of my classmates made a very convicting statement. She was speaking of a previous experience when a friend asked,"would you do it for Jesus?" Ouch. I immediately recalled the pile of dishes on my counter and thought "of course I would!"..... but I hadn't. I had, instead, allowed this pile of dishes - a couple of cups and a plate or two - to really irritate me. I was so quick to answer "yes" to a hypothetical question about serving Jesus, when in reality I was doing just the opposite. When we choose to hold a grudge, refuse to help a friend or family member in need we are in fact saying "No" to God.

I want to thank LaGaye for sharing a simple yet profound statement. She had a huge impact on me and my actions...for at least...the rest of the day.

Building Fences

I am taking a class at church called Foundations. The goal of this class is to discuss 11 "Core Truths" of my faith. I was so excited when I initially read about it in the church bulletin. The class description stated questions such as "Were there dinosaurs on the Ark?" would be answered. Well it was a no brainier... I would have to go and find out!
Over the course of months we have answered many of my questions. There are some things that we have not. For those questions that remain unanswered our teacher Dave has given us the concept of "building a fence around it." In my mind, the fence is a orange safety fence...like the one my husband uses to keep the dogs off certain areas when he plants grass. The significance of this concept has kinda been baffling me lately. There are certain things we just cannot explain or answer. Like the dinosaurs on the Ark or why my children can remember the words (verbatim) from a movie but not to get their dirty clothes out of the bathroom after showering. Some things just cannot be explained. I mean they can if you really try but is it always necessary to know the answer?
Anyway building fences.... usually we do it to protect something. Our family, pets or property. To keep intruders at a safe distance. Sometimes we build fences around out heart, to keep from being disappointed. But with all this literal and figurative building sometimes we miss the experience. That is what I don't want myself or my children to do, is miss the experience. So I am challenging each of you. To for the day live in the moment. I am not saying live willy nilly. But to try to enjoy or learn from the experiences that each of you face today. Many of our actions and reactions are like a rock skipped across a pond. There is the initial splash , but there is also the ripples that affect so much more than the surface.

Is this for me?

Is this for me? Okay, I am contemplating if this is the right forum for me. I don't get the whole face book, twitter and texting thing. So why do I want a blog? A friend at work has two blogs and she inspires me with her writing. I on the other hand am a horrible speller and my grammar is even worse. What can I offer readers? I am a mother of two, an 11 year old girl and 8 year old boy. They are amazing children and I could write about the trials and tribulations of parenting. I could share funny stories of how they perplex and amaze me at the same time. But how would that really make me different than any other site?Maybe I should share a short story to let you know how I came up with the blog name and that will serve as a springboard for comments and we will go from there.

While walking along a beach a man saw someone in the distance leaning down and picking something up, tossing it back into the ocean. As he got closer her noticed the figure was a young boy picking up starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. The man approached the boy, smiled and asked why was he throwing the starfish back into the ocean. To this the boy replied. "The sun is up and the tide going out. If I don't they will die" Upon hearing this the man replied, "But young man, do you realize their are miles and miles of beach and that there are miles and miles of starfish. How can you possibly make a difference?" The young boy listened politely and then bent down... picking up a starfish and throwing it past the breaking waves...He then said "It made a difference for that one."

So you ask "what is the realivence of this story?" My son has behavioral issues. He has since he was about 2 years old, about the time of my divorce from his father. We have gone to counseling and found amazing doctors to obtain appropriate care. He is doing so much better. Now my Jay stories involve laughing and not crying. Along the way, to this realitivly happy place, there have been people that have seen the diamond in the rough. They have appreicated Jay for his beautiful spirit. To me Jay is one of those starfish.....he was an under-dog. He is someone who dosen't fit into the box society so despirately tries to force people into. So I hope to inspire people to find the good in mankind. To find the silver lining in the storm cloud.