Our son Ryan being baptized on Mother's Day.... what a sweet moment.

"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes keep to my ways..." Proverbs 23:26

Weeds and Roots

Where is the worn table, the tall weeds when everything is so groomed? I've often thought about both sides of abundance. Some homes have perfectly groomed living rooms, shiny floors and spotless stoves. Yes they make you feel special when you walk in. Everything looks and feels so perfect. But then... I think about my grandmother's farm. The multi-line phone that sat tidily in the corner. It was the only thing on that little corner table. Today I'm sure it would be littered with remotes and newspapers and monthly magazines, but those were simpler times. The stove was for warmth and was the anchor of the living room. The tile was well worn with time and the feet of 5 growing boys coming in from farm duties. I can imagine the growing feet that walked across that kitchen floor, dripping after a dip in the pond or after a bath in a metal tub because water was too scarce to fill the inside tub. Sleepy feet that made their way outside to the outhouse before the inside plumbing was added to the aging farmhouse.

Neighborhoods with perfectly groomed yards and fancy cars or an old farm with a proud, tall apple tree in the front yard with a prouder, tall grandpa below quietly peeling a barrel full of apples. The grandkids whizzed around him, but he slow and steady would peel apples one after another. His deep blue eyes were so tender and quiet and always cried when we'd say goodbye. A grown man crying, yes that was my introduction to the heart of real men. He loved deeply, quietly. Everyone else always said enough to fill the air but when he spoke, people caught their breath to listen. He lived content with small towns and small means, but for me he wanted the world. He told me "Go see the world, experience it, live life". My roots are that little farmhouse, with the untidy weeds and the uneven dirt road. So as life calls me forward I want to never forget that HOME is that which gives life. That home gave life to 5 boys; 2 became pastors, 1 a steel workers, 1 a wanderer and my father hungry for a better life took the city route. Forging an esteemed career with the FBI and pursuing his love for music and the finer things in life. He is now a rancher on his own small tidy farm, perhaps closer to his roots than ever. He and I share a kindred love of theater and Starbucks. But I will never forget the gifts that came from that simple little farmhouse. It's an old man teaching a little girl that strong men do cry when they love deeply. It's the art of peeling an apple with the peel in 1 piece, that I just taught to my kids, with a story that starts "You know, when I was a little girl, my grandfather....." It's the apple tree that gave abundantly in the fall and the joy of apple butter being made over an open fire and a copper kettle. It's big worn hands that just knew, what to put in the dirt when. Things I have to buy a book to learn. It's the way a ham sandwich tasted on white bread with a warm tomato from the garden and cold country mayonnaise in my Grandmother's kitchen. I don't know how she did it... I've eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world and I've never had anything that even comes close.... Those are the things that give us roots.
(Written for my father, for Father's Day) Happy Father's Day Dad. Thank you for giving me an appreciation for the finer things in life wherever I find them . I Love you.

Manager of Our Homes

I've been sharing with a friend about the challenges of learning to managing my home. I was feeling challenged recently over my role as wife, mother, dishwasher, cook, and my sweet friend pointed to the book "The Power of a Praying Wife." I didn't have to go to Barnes and Noble, I just walked to our bookcases and found it waiting for me to dive in. I was especially struck by the chapter on being a manager of your home. Despite experience as a corporate manager, I saw my role as a wife as a totally different job...with a totally new not always comfortable skill set. I am still trying to figure it all out and find balance and organization. But the Lord recently inspired me to use the same skills I used as a manager to be a manager of my home. I began thinking about all the duties that it takes to run a home. Not just cooking and cleaning and caring for kids, but the big picture. A full job description. I began to see home management in a bigger scope. What things could I handle for David that would make our home run smoothly? Even things like taking out the trash, returning his phone calls, setting up home maintenance and repairs, overseeing maintenance and cleanliness of the garage and cars. Lots of those areas I had previously thought of as his area of management, but through God's nudging, I began to see even those areas as they relate to home management and very real ways I could serve my husband. Those little tasks add up on his to do list, and for me to say, I'll be handling these things today, gives me both a sense of joy and purpose in making his day a little less hectic.

Another thing I thought of today is that good managers require good communication. I was clarifying with David his desire for our schedule for tomorrow, and I realized marriage and home management takes lots and lots of talking and clarifying. I've learned that my husband is not the planner or the detail person in our marriage. I am. He more often than not has a big picture view of things, so I've learned to accomplish things as a family I have to ask a lot of questions to make sure the details get taken care of. It feels like work sometimes, but again a good manager knows that the CEO leads the manager accomplishes. That's good for me because I'm a doer. I need to be doing things, and I love the way the Lord has written this job description on my heart. I think the best part is... I can always be assured of forgiveness when I fail, and my biggest motivation isn't a salary, it's the love of an amazing husband and the joy of watching our children grow into beautiful human beings.