Light in Earthen Vessels

Do You Know Me?

2010-04-08T10:51:00.001-07:00

Do you know this young lady? Let's take a peek into the life of a struggling teenage Cardinal, as she takes a stab at caring for herself in the big, and often scary, adult world. Landing on the deck rail, she peers down at a known food source. Forgetting that her parents usually fed her from seed that had fallen on the ground from this particular feeder (or determined to do it her own way, perhaps), she perches at a feeder not normally frequented by her kind.

It feels a bit awkward, but then again, so do most things these days... Reaching into the feeder, she is able to draw sustenance at last, to keep herself from starving. {The author has to wonder if her parents are sitting on a tree branch somewhere, holding their beaks shut to keep from yelling, "No, not THAT way!! Do it the way we taught you!!}

Finally alone, she takes the opportunity to let her feathers relax and rest. Being grown up is a lot harder than she ever thought it would be, but she dare not let others see her struggles, lest they think she is not able to take care of herself. The last thing she needs is to be put back into the nest!! Yikes, what a thought!!

Suddenly, "others arrive" and her moment of respite is hurriedly forgotten. Sitting up tall and straightening her feathers, she shows just how capable she is. Indeed, she fits perfectly into this adult world, after all!

Well, at least until a big, scary squirrel shows up and scares her... Flying to a nearby pot, she breathes a sigh of relief and gathers her strength for the next foray into the adult world.

Do YOU know this young lady, or others like her? I do, and I find myself being more thankful than ever to a gracious God who shares lessons with me from His delightful world of nature. Be sure to hug your daughter today!

Just Another Day on the...Laundry Room Floor?

2009-12-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

The phrase "never a dull moment" seems, at times, to take on a life of its own in our home. Take this evening, for instance. As we were eating supper (only four of us!!), Shawn noticed a puddle of some liquid on the laundry room floor. (FYI - I have been plagued with "puddles" recently and, indeed, I have begun to think of them as "puddles of sanctification").

At first glance, it appeared that either the gallon of popcorn oil or the one of vegetable oil had leaked, but the substance was not completely oily. It was not the right color to be the disinfectant, which was next to the oil containers (I know - not a good combination). Hmmm, moving more things around, I ruled out the bottles of Gatorade, threw out the container of popcorn salt (had gotten wet), moved the case of Vienna Sausages and wiped the bottom of it, continuing to look for the source of the slightly yellow puddle. Finally, I had to do it. I stuck my finger in the liquid...and smelled it. (Ha! No, I did NOT taste it - fooled you, didn't I?) It had a slightly alcohol-ish smell to it, which confused me even further.

Sadly, I began to conclude that Charlie, our Black Lab, must have had a seizure in the laundry room, losing bladder control in the process (yes, this has become more of a problem recently). Odd that there were no signs of bowel issues, though, and the smell in the laundry room was not overwhelmingly of ammonia... Nevertheless, I set to cleaning up the mess with a roll of paper towels and a large plastic bag. (That is one way to get a floor clean, but not one that I would recommend.) My goal was to soak up the liquid with the paper towels first and then wipe the floor with a wet towel and dry thoroughly with a clean one.

Before solidifying my theory, though, I decided to investigate items on the bottom shelf, next to the floor. Wah lah!!! Success!! I was delighted (?!!) to discover that a gallon of apple cider had fermented, with gases building up to the point of causing a pin prick leak in the container! What a relief it was to know that I was only cleaning up sticky, icky, apple cider rather than...the alternative. (Yes, I did begin this by stating that we were eating supper. And, yes, the laundry room is right next to the kitchen, where we were eating. Lots of leftovers tonight...)

I guess they are pretty serious about the instructions to "keep refrigerated". Well, we can be very thankful that it busted a gut before we actually got around to drinking it, though! It is good to have opportunities such as these to put the detective skills I have honed over the years of parenting to use. :-) Now, on to solve the case of The Missing Toothpaste. Still can't figure out how a tube of toothpaste can disappear from a bathroom without a trace...

Parenting...it's not a job, it's an adventure!!

Trey's 17th Birthday and "THE RECIPE"!

2009-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Trey enjoyed his 17th birthday celebration almost as much as he did this Reese's Cup variation of Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Dessert. Here now, for the first time ever, I share The Recipe:

Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Dessert
Here is the recipe, as it was given to me many years ago (around 1990 or so) by Terri Cole (given to her before she was married, I think by her mother-in-law-to-be):
1 regular bag Oreo cookies
1/2 gal ice cream
1 jar ice cream topping
1/2 cup nuts (Spanish peanuts)
1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip, thawed

Take frosting out of cookies* and smash cookies in a plastic bag. Dump into a 13 x 9 pan. Cut ice cream into squares and place in pan, on top of cookies. Smooth. Dump jar of topping on top and smooth. Put peanuts on top, then Cool Whip. Smooth. Take reserved 1/2 cup of crushed Oreos and throw on top. Cover with foil. Freeze.
* While you are doing cookies, set out ice cream so it will be soft

OK, so here are some of our own notes, variations, and favorites:
** Be sure to feed the Oreo "guts to all of the kids in the family! Gives them a great sugar high!
** The cookies are best when crushed by a teenage boy; girls are way too wimpy at this.
** There is always a bit too much ice cream to fit into the pan. It was designed this way, so that the birthday person would have a little extra to enjoy (not really, but the kids seem to have made this rule up themselves).
** Some of our favorite ice cream toppings to use are Hot Fudge (MINE!!), caramel, butterscotch, strawberry.
** It can be fun to decorate the top with M & M's, candy sprinkles, or other items of your choice.
** You can use varieties of ice cream; however, we have found that plain French Vanilla seems to work best in most cases, as the other flavors compliment it best. Flavored ice creams may tend to be "too much", but don't be afraid to experiment!
** Some of our favorite variations are:
1) Reese's cup - cut up Reese's miniatures and add on top of the ice cream instead of peanuts. We tried caramel topping along with it and it was VERY well received. Then, cut Reese's mini's in half and lay them on top, along with the extra Oreos.
2) Hot fudge topping with M & M's on top.
3) Strawberry topping, with fresh strawberries on top, along with Oreos.
4) Chocolate Mint - Chopped York Peppermint patties instead of peanuts, chocolate topping, crushed candy on top, maybe with some crushed peppermint hard candies, too.
USE YOUR OWN IMAGINATION!!! This is lots of fun and can lend itself to grand family preparations times!

MoneyGram Warning!

2009-12-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

When I stop and consider who MoneyGram’s target clientele is, I am particularly angry over a recent months-long struggle I had with them regarding the refund of a lost money order. Some exceptions will apply, certainly, but many of the folks who purchase money orders are in what would be easily considered a “lower income” bracket, and many of them are not native English speakers. It would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the “typical” MoneyGram customer to obtain the refund that I finally received today, delivered via UPS Next Day Air service. Indeed, it was a very difficult situation for me to resolve, having been trained in such business practices.

What is all the fuss about? It took five months for MoneyGram to refund a lost money order, although all protocol was followed by me, the customer, as instructed. In the end, it appears (although the evidence is circumstantial) that they did their level best to NOT refund the money, in fact. Follow along carefully, as I share the details:

July 13, 2009 – I submitted a Money Order Claim Card for a lost money order, the value of which was $150.00. The cost of submitting this claim was $15.00. It was stated on the form, “Most requests are processed within 30 days; however, please allow up to 65 days for total processing.”

October 5, 2009 – Having allowed more than the allotted 65 days, I called to check on the refund, which had not been received. I was told that it had been returned to MoneyGram as “undeliverable” on July 21. When asked if we had problems receiving our mail at this address, I informed the MoneyGram representative that we normally had no problems at all. After verifying that they had the correct information (they apparently did), I was told that they would send another refund check, which should take around 1-2 weeks for delivery.

October 27, 2009 – Still not having received the refund, I called MoneyGram once again. This time I was told that the date the original check had been returned as undeliverable was August 11, rather than July 21. When asked what happened to the second check, the MoneyGram representative stated that it had also been returned as undeliverable, after having been mailed on October 7. I was not told what date that particular check was returned. Questioning continued from the MoneyGram representative regarding our mail delivery, but I assured the person that we had absolutely no problems receiving any other mail items. In fact, I informed them that our mail delivery personnel was quite liberal in delivering mail that did not even belong to us, as we still receive mail for the previous occupants after having lived in this house for over four years. Once again, I verified the name and address carefully, which seemed to have been correct in their records.

I was told that, at this point, I needed to fill out a “Purchaser’s Statement” and submit that form for the refund. In fact, I was told that this form was specifically for customers who had not received a refund check after two such requests. It seemed odd to me that they would need a form for this specific reason, and the fact that such a form existed, suggested that this was a common problem. Having received this form via email from a MoneyGram representative (it was not available on the internet), I filled it out and faxed it to the phone number I had been given during my phone conversation. (I was told that faxing the form would cut down on the processing time considerably.)

December 1, 2009 – Once again I called MoneyGram, as we had not received the refund. I was told by Stacy that the refund had been mailed again on October 28, the day after I faxed the purchaser’s statement. Having previously spoken with a clerk at the post office, I was informed that there were no delivery problems for our address that he was aware of. After having verified that they had the correct address one more time, I became angry and insisted that they wire the refund to me locally. I was told that they could not wire a refund, so I asked to speak to a supervisor. “Stacy” assured me that a supervisor would tell me that MoneyGram could not wire a refund, but I insisted on talking to one, anyway. (Perhaps I used an incorrect term, but MoneyGram states on their website at www.moneygram.com that money can be sent and received within ten minutes – that was at least the general idea of what I was insisting upon.)

Shortly, the same representative (Stacy) returned to the phone line and told me that she had spoken to a supervisor. Although they could not wire the refund, they could send a check via overnight service. I agreed to that option, pending receipt of a tracking number for the package. I was assured that a check would be sent via overnight delivery the next day and I would be called with a tracking number. All I needed to do was fax yet another Purchaser’s Statement with the information to them. This time, I called after sending the fax, to ensure that they did receive the faxed information.

December 2, 2009 – I called MoneyGram at around 2:00pm, to check on the refund. I was told that it was being processed and I would be called after 4:00 with the tracking number, which did indeed happen.

December 3, 2009 – Received refund from MoneyGram via UPS Next Day Service, almost five months from the date I first submitted the refund request. The address on the envelope was correct; only the first name on the package was misspelled, which should not have hindered any mail from being delivered. There was no apparent reason that an envelope, similarly addressed, would have been returned to MoneyGram as undeliverable, much less be returned multiple times, as was claimed.

I am concerned that the checks which were supposedly “returned as undeliverable” may never have, in fact, been mailed by MoneyGram. My particular situation was eventually resolved; however, considering that many customers who purchase money orders may not have the resources, time, and business experience to pursue a refund request for five months as I did, it appears that MoneyGram may be taking advantage of a great number of people by not providing refunds according to their stated protocol. Such business practices are particularly heinous when they have the potential of targeting a segment of the population such as those who would purchase money orders (lower income, less educated, many non-native English speakers).

Thankful for ...Giblet Soup?!

2009-11-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

Over the years, we have enjoyed inviting many friends to our Thanksgiving gatherings. However, this year, despite many invitations being given out, it was "just" our family for the Thanksgiving meal. I assured the kids that all the folks God wanted to be here would be in attendance, and we had a sweet time of togetherness, indeed. When we stop and realize that our family Thanksgivings will likely be changing dramatically over the next few years as the kids begin to make lives of their own, our remaining times together are just that much more meaningful.

A few highlights of this year's time of thankfulness:

* Most of the girls helped prepare at least one of the traditional "comfort" foods that they enjoy. Kathryn helped me with the Green Bean Casserole and Grandma with the Cornbread Dressing, and she took notes as Anna helped prepare the Sweet Potato Casserole, just like my own Mama used to make it.
* Naomi made her famous Vietnamese Spring Rolls, with Irina's help. Many of the kids named those during our meal, when asked what their favorite food on the table was!
* Irina helped me make traditional Pumpkin Pies and we also decided to whip up a Pumpkin Cheesecake, since we had all of the necessary ingredients. It ended up being one of the favorite desserts!
* Shawn helped Grandma make traditional Pecan Pies, which turned out very well.
* Vanya helped Grandma make her much loved Hashbrown Casserole.

A couple of our girls, whose names I won't mention in order to avoid potential embarrassment, continued their line of thankfulness from years past. Last Thanksgiving (I think - maybe the year before), one of them came rushing into the dining room while everyone was eating, asking the other, "Hey, ______, do you wanna' neck?" Everyone cracked up, much to her confusion, and we quickly explained the alternate meaning of what she had blurted out so loudly in front of everyone. In their native countries, eating the chicken or turkey neck was something looked forward to, so it was a once-a-year delicacy for them!

This year, much to Grandma's chagrin, they insisted on putting bowls out next to her Giblet Gravy. Although Grandma told them numerous times that gravy was meant to go on top of items such as meat and dressing, they relished the thought of eating the gravy like a soup!! Ahhhh, what does it matter, truly? If they get so much enjoyment from eating a gravy, made out of parts of the turkey which are often discarded in our culture, but considered a delicacy in their native cultures, then perhaps next year she will make a larger batch of it and give it a new name - Grandma's Giblet Soup! Sounds like a new tradition in the making to me!!

Jennifer and Annalia!

2009-10-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Irina and Tessa took a trip to Michigan in October to visit Jennifer, Micah, and Annalia. Here are a few photos that Irina took while they were there!

Delightful Photo Op

2009-10-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Shawn saw this little guy land in one of my flowers on the deck while he was doing school, and he was afraid that the bird had died, as it was lying on its side at the time. We rushed outside to perform CPR or something like it, and I was able to help him/her get back on his/her feet. I would like to think that he/she was grateful enough for that boost to pose for some awesome photos. However, I presume that it was more likely that he/she had flown into a window and was stunned for a moment. I am thankful to report that the story had a good ending, as he/she flew into a nearby tree after his photo shoot. Be sure to click on the photo so that you can see the intricate detail we were able to capture from being so close to him/her!

A Personal Theory on Dystonic Storms

2009-10-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

What is a dystonic storm?
“Rarely, patients with dystonic symptoms develop increasingly frequent and intense episodes of severe generalized dystonia called status dystonicus. A single episode of this severe dystonia may be referred to as a “dystonic storm” or “dystonic attack.”

Although the exact numbers are not known, anecdotal accounts suggest that relatively mild to moderate dystonic storms are a fairly regular experience for some individuals with generalized dystonia, especially secondary dystonias.”
Quoted from: http://www.dystonia-foundation.org/pages/faq_symptoms/101.php

God has slowed me down again, with another dystonic storm. I don't know how long it will last or how bad it will get this time, but I trust Him with the details. I do in theory, although I have to continually remind myself that, sometimes as often as every minute, during the most intense spasms.

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, I have a movement disorder called dystonia. My particular type is classified as “generalized”, as it affects all of my body. See this page for more information: http://www.dystonia-foundation.org/pages/what_is_dystonia_/26.php. I developed this condition in 2005, was diagnosed in 2006, and had Deep Brain Stimulation surgery in 2007. In general, I enjoy a good amount of relief from the symptoms, through the combination of medication and neurostimulation. However, there are times when it flares up and I am reminded to count my blessings for the amount of symptom relief that I do have most of the time.

When I was diagnosed with Generalized Dystonia, the Movement Disorder Specialist informed me that, although dystonia is not caused by stress, it is exacerbated by it. That is a fancy way to say that stress can make the symptoms worse, and I have indeed seen this illustrated in my life over and over again, often through these “storms”.

Coming from Oklahoma, I have always loved to see a good thunderstorm develop over the plains. It is especially impressive when looking at a thunderstorm from miles away, as you can see a side view of the activity – the cloud movement, lightning, etc. Through these awesome storms, I have gained a tiny bit of understanding of the power of God. I am spared the full comprehension of God's power, however, as I would be crushed by that understanding, in my frail state of humanity.

The dystonic storms that God has placed in my life have many similarities to those thunderstorms that I loved to watch develop from miles away. Each bit of stress that I encounter adds a bit of moisture to my “environment”. Just like clouds, some stresses are bigger than others, but they all contribute in a developing storm. Although the development of a dystonic storm is much slower than an Oklahoma thunderstorm, the ensuing activity can be just as dramatic in its own way. When my "clouds" build up to the point where they are saturated with stress, the release is in the form of a dystonic storm. My body can be wracked with spasms from head to toe, with me perhaps being unable to get out of bed. That is the worst type of storm. In less severe storms, I am able to get up and around to a degree, but even walking can trigger severe chest spasms, which makes it difficult for me to catch my breath.

The duration of these episodes varies, also, lasting anywhere from 24 hours to two or three weeks. Although I struggle immensely during this time, I have come to recognize these struggles as a blessing from God, just as the rain from a thunderstorm is to the land. These are times of slowing down and reflecting on the goodness and faithfulness of God. The worst of thunderstorms can seem to wreak havoc on an area, yet it is one of the ways that God refreshes and rejuvenates the land. When I take the time to reflect during these storms in my own life, I see God at work in the same manner.

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
(Psa 104:1-9)

Kat's birthday celebration!

2009-07-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

We all enjoyed helping Kathryn celebrate her 19th birthday last night!

Dystonia in the News

2009-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is indeed an amazing family. The parents have two children with generalized dystonia and they are making huge efforts to raise money for research into a possible cure for this illness. You can visit their website at: www.tylershope.org.

There are days when my own dystonia is well under control and you would not be able to see any effects from it. And then there are days (like most of this past week) when I tend to feel like dystonia "has me" rather than me "having dystonia". I have come to refer to it as "dis {a.k.a., this} Tonia", actually, as it seems like there is something or someone who wants to take over my body. I am thankful for the unique opportunities I have been given to share His light with others through my dystonia "connections", though.

Another birthday!

2009-06-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Vanya's 18th birthday this past weekend - where has the time gone?! Adopted at the age of 8, he is very much the American boy these days. Some of his favorite things are music, reading (especially G.A. Henty books), and working in the yard. We are encouraging the latter, especially!!

Birthdays!!

2009-05-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

Naomi (18)and Anna (17) celebrated their birthdays together again this year and even took some time out to have a photo made with dear ol' Mom!

Tessa on Amazon

2009-05-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Tessa is still in the job market, but in the meantime she has started selling books and movies on Amazon. We gave her some to sell and she got some at the library bookstore, too (content not preapproved, so be discerning!). Here is what she says:

Hi Everyone,
I am Ramona's daughter, and I would just like to let you all know I have recently set up a seller account at Amazon.com for used books, CD's, and DVD's. I currently have over one hundred items in stock, all at very cheap prices. I have a very wide variety of subjects, from murder mysteries and political mysteries to epic fantasy with elves, dwarves and dragons, to Christian fiction. Some of my items, if clicked on will take you to an almost empty page, because of Amazon's posting rules, but each of these has another version with a description of the product. I encourage you to look through what I have, and see if any of it interests you. Shipping is guaranteed under two business days, delivery within 2-14 business days. Enjoy! My storefront can be found at this address:
http://www.amazon.com/shops/A20OR6AFK9IVPR

This Mom Rocks!

2009-05-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, I do love my kids! :-) They have such wonderful ways of letting me know they love me, too. I came out this morning to this white board, declaring that I "ROCK". Bob assured me that he had nothing to do with this little project and I very much believe him. You see, yesterday was a rough day for me and the kids wanted to cheer me up. It sure worked!

Cedar Waxwing

2009-03-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

OK, call me a birdbrain, but I LOVE these birds! The are my favorite type of bird, but it is very rare for them to descend on our yard by the flock like they did this afternoon. What a delightful time we had, watching them and snapping photos!

Happy 18th Birthday!!

2009-02-13T16:34:00.001-08:00

Will the real Tessa please stand up?!! Honestly, she is a wonderful mixture of these two "personalities"! :-)

A Slightly Different Perspective

2009-02-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

Although I am far from perfect, I try to avoid self pity when dystonia symptoms force me back into my wheelchair. My challenge is to step back, take a deep breath and remind myself that the last time this happened, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees.” (Psalm 119:71) Indeed, there is inevitably much wisdom that God is willing to share with me if I will slow down long enough to listen to Him during times like this. Rather than spending all of my energy seeking relief from these disabling symptoms, I must choose to reconsider many areas of my life, looking at this from a more godly perspective.

I must choose to follow these directives, found in Psalm 37:3-7:

Verse 3 - “Trust in the Lord and do good”

Certainly, prayer for symptom relief is acceptable before God. I must lay those requests before the Lord and trust Him to answer them according to His perfect will and timing, though. In the meantime, it is my responsibility as a child of God to “do good”, also. This may take a different form each day, hour, or minute. (During this particular “setback”, I have found time to counsel our daughters in areas of their lives where they have been struggling.)

Verse 4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord”

As I wait for physical relief, I must take stock of my life and make sure that my priorities are in order. First and foremost, I should seek the kingdom of God. By learning more about Him from scripture and study, I cannot help but be delighted and awestruck. When my days are not streaking past me as quickly, I am better able to see the handiwork of God all around me – flowers, birds, budding trees, all shout the glories of a wonderful and amazing God.

Verse 5 – “Commit your way to the Lord”

After I place my trust in God for His healing and choose to delight in Him, I must newly commit my ways to Him. Surely, this has been done over and over in my own life. I so often get off track, though. Inevitably, when I take the time to consider my ways during a flare up of dystonia symptoms, I can see much room for improvement. Once again, I choose to commit my ways to the Lord and I pray that my steps will be steadier this time than last…

Verse 6 – “He will bring forth your righteousness as the light”

What a refreshing thought I find this to be, as I reconsider my ways and see where attitudes and priorities need serious adjustments! If I am obedient to Him, His light will shine forth to those around me. Isn’t it just like our wonderful Lord to offer hope and encouragement as we follow Him in obedience?

Verse 7 – “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

Having trusted God with my health, delighted in learning more about Him, recommitted my ways to Him and been refreshed by the promise of His light shining through me, I should be well equipped to be still and wait patiently for him. At times, God has chosen to withdraw my physical symptoms eventually, but the medical establishment is quick to assure me that there is no “cure” for dystonia – not even the brain surgery I had was the means to a cure. Rather, they choose to treat my symptoms as they arise and I am satisfied in knowing that truly I have a Great Physician watching over me.

Just as sitting in a wheelchair gives me a slightly different perspective on my surroundings, taking the time to slow down and reconsider my ways during a flare of up medical symptoms allows me to have a more godly perspective on my life in general. I find myself saying, along with the Psalmist, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

Whether God has (what we would consider) a future of good medical health for me or not is not my main concern. I will continue to pray for healing, but if He chooses to allow my body to be afflicted, it is my prayer that I will consider it pure joy whenever I face trials, because the testing of my faith develops perseverance. And, perseverance must finish its work so that I may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.

(Whew, I am glad I got that out of my head and written down! Now I can use it to refer back to as I become frustrated with my physical condition. Hmmm, that may be as often as every half hour or so during a given day!! )

Today's Pharisees and Sadducees

2009-02-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Our pastor spoke this past Sunday on the doctrines of the “Pharisees and Sadducees” of our own day and time, as he took apart this section of scripture:

Mat 16:5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.
Mat 16:6 Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Mat 16:7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread."
Mat 16:8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?
Mat 16:9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?
Mat 16:10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?
Mat 16:11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Mat 16:12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

He provided this list of characteristics of our current day Pharisees and Sadducees, which I thought was well worth sharing:

1. They regularly sit among us and criticize the work of God, causing dissension and bitterness among God’s people
· Matt 23:33 "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?"

2. They are driven and motivated by pride

· Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee in Luke 18 who prayed in prominent places

3. They clearly see the sins of everyone else

· Luke 18: 11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector."

4. They worship the author of tradition
· Matt. 15:2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?"

5. They burden God’s people with legalistic requirements
· Matt. 12:2 "You disciples do what is not lawful.”

6. They are concerned with their standing and position in the culture
· John 11:47 "Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

7. They are well read theologians, but ignorant in the application of Truth
· Matt. 12:3, 5; 19:4 to the Pharisees

8. They believe they belong to God because their parents did
· Matt 3:9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

9. They lead people away from the church and communion with saints
· Matt 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."

10. They love to talk theology but neglect to show mercy
· Matt 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"

11. They appear righteous but their hearts are hard
· Matt 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full 1of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Unquestioning Obedience

2009-02-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

In John Calvin's commentary on Acts, he has this to say regarding Acts 11:18 (The version he is commenting on reads, "When they heard this they had no further objections..."):

Whenever we need to know the reason for anything,
the Lord does not conceal it; but sometimes he simply tells us that a particular thing pleases him, to get us used to obeying. People
who take the liberty of inquiring further, and delight in doing so, only bring about their own downfall by their devilish presumption. Luke says that Peter's listeners not only had no further objections but praised God. Some people, when they are shamed into keeping their mouths shut, still keep in their minds what they dare not say. That is pretending to be modest rather than being truly teachable. {emphasis added}

Teen Exit and Entrance

2009-01-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

As Shawn excitedly entered Teenhood, Zhenya just as gladly exited! Shawn is finally a "real person" now, as he was able to get a checking account and, more importantly, a FACEBOOK account. That stuff is old hat to Z, but he seems to be just as eagerly looking forward to his twenties. I love the "brotherly advice" photo - wonder what he told Shawn?

Irina, All Grown Up!

2009-01-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

Irina had her 19th birthday today, which officially makes her an adult in AL. Some friends from church came over to help her celebrate and it seemed that a wonderful time was had by all!! Happy Birthday, Irina!!

Guarding the Hearts of Our Daughters

2008-11-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

Regarding the popular Twilight Series, by Stephenie Meyer

My husband and I are careful what videos and movies we allow into our home. We do not watch television except for very specific situations (presidential elections, weather bulletins, etc) and we screen most, if not all, of the videos before allowing our kids to watch them. I am certain that some less than stellar DVD’s make their way into our collection, but we do try to keep on top of what the nine young adults (ages 12-19) in our home are visually exposed to.

Until recently, books have not been as much of a concern, though. The two teens in our home who enjoy reading books on their own are quite discerning of their own accord and we have been able to generally trust them to make wise choices in this area. As a matter of fact, it has been a struggle for my husband and me to get most of our teens to do any reading, other than what we required of them for school. This changed a while back though, after a friend loaned a book to one of our daughters.

Initially, I questioned my daughter about the book which had been loaned to her, as I was concerned about the “vampire” subject matter. She told me that this friend (an adult woman whom I consider a sister in Christ) informed her that this was a very good book and that she was certain my daughter would enjoy reading it. I was busy at the time and did not choose to thoroughly check out this reading material. Rather, I instructed my daughter (a believer, although a fairly new one) to read some of the book and let me know how it stood up against our spiritual standards. She later came back to me, reporting that the book was interesting to read and “only had a few bad things in it, and they weren’t too bad”. Distracted with other areas, I once again chose to not personally pursue this subject, allowing her to continue reading the book. I somehow rationalized this to myself along the lines of, “It is unlikely that she and her sisters will actually read much of this (very thick) book, anyway”. Much to my surprise, this daughter not only read the book, but began to actively search for the sequel, so that she could read it also. Not long afterwards, another of our “non-reading” daughters began spending her spare time with this book. I should have taken note then, doing a thorough review of what our daughters were reading. Alas, I did not, once again opting for the easy way out (too busy and distracted).

This past week, these two daughters came to ask me if they could watch the movie which is newly in theaters, based upon this series of books they had so enjoyed. However, their attitudes were not the normal, “Mom, can I watch this new movie,” like we see on a regular basis. Rather, they seemed a bit embarrassed to be asking permission to watch this particular movie and even anticipating a possible rejection. A bit puzzled by this, I watched the movie trailer and then spoke with my husband. The trailer was disturbing and not the type of movie we would normally allow our daughters to watch. It was at this point that I began to realize the depth of the mistake I had made by allowing our daughters to read this series of books. We decided to require book reports on the first book in the series before granting or denying the requested permission, with a focus biblical principles appearing or absent in the story.

Soon, a third daughter began wondering “what the big deal was” regarding this series of books. Since there were a number of women and young girls in our church who had read and enjoyed these books, she picked the first one up and began reading it. Before she got far, she began asking questions and wondering what it was that her sisters in Christ had seen in this book. Finally, I decided it was time for me to take the time to read the first of these very popular books which had stolen the hearts of my daughters. My heart was broken, as I soon found myself praying and confessing my sinful lack of diligence regarding what I was allowing into the hearts and minds of my girls to the Lord. Reading Twilight, I was dumbstruck by the sensuality and lustfulness this book exhibited. This is not an area my daughters would have necessarily known to point out to me when reading the book, as “nothing bad” happened between the two main characters. (In other words, they did not literally have sexual intercourse.) The author of Twilight is unarguably a very talented writer and this was a book which would easily be classified as “hard to put down”. Her words and phrases were quite descriptive; as she carried the reader along, enabling them to truly feel what the main character was going through. In general, this would be considered a good quality to find in a book. However, when sensuality and lust are the subjects and teenagers are the ones reading the book, words such as these provide routes to thoughts and feelings they may never had dreamed of otherwise. Sadly, I had failed to guard the hearts and minds of my daughters (Phil 4:7-8). Not only that, but my daughters, in their enthusiasm over a well written book, had shared it with friends, not realizing the dangers presented amongst the pages. Such sexually oriented thoughts should only be reserved for marriage relationships, but I had allowed these sinful thoughts into the minds of our daughters and their friends. Even the common definitions of these words contain spiritual aspects to them, as evidenced in the following online dictionaries:

From TheFreeDictionary.com:
sen•su•al
adj.
1. Relating to or affecting any of the senses or a sense organ; sensory.
2.
a. Of, relating to, given to, or providing gratification of the physical and especially the sexual appetites. See Synonyms at sensuous.
b. Suggesting sexuality; voluptuous.
c. Physical rather than spiritual or intellectual.
d. Lacking in moral or spiritual interests; worldly.

From Miriam-Webster.com:
sen•su•al
adj.
1. Relating to or affecting any of the senses or a sense organ; sensory.
2.
a. Of, relating to, given to, or providing gratification of the physical and especially the sexual appetites. See Synonyms at sensuous.
b. Suggesting sexuality; voluptuous.
c. Physical rather than spiritual or intellectual.
d. Lacking in moral or spiritual interests; worldly.

From Answers.com:
Lust:
1. Intense or unrestrained sexual craving.
2.
a. An overwhelming desire or craving: a lust for power.
b. Intense eagerness or enthusiasm: a lust for life.
3. Obsolete. Pleasure; relish.
intr.v., lust•ed, lust•ing, lusts.
To have an intense or obsessive desire, especially one that is sexual.

More importantly, though, God’s Word speaks out clearly against both sensuality and lust:

God’s Word-
Pro 11:6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

2Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.

As my girls and I talked about these books last night, I explained how satan often uses things like this to hook unsuspecting persons and slowly reel them in. Just like the frog in a pot of cold water, they would not realize the danger they were in, reading the first book. It was an enjoyable read and the feelings which might have been awakened in their hearts felt good and warm, so why should they stop with reading the first book? The increased “heat” of the next book in the series would not be noticeable to them, nor the next one, as it slowly grew in intensity. I am so thankful that God brought this to my attention before the heat reached the point of boiling in the lives of my daughters.

Thankfully, “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) It was sinful of me to not take the time to read what my impressionable daughters were reading. For that, I am sorrowful and sad, but also determined to use this mistake to God’s glory. I remain puzzled and wondering why this book was given to my daughter by a Christian woman in the first place. Have our consciences become so seared as to not recognize the sin behind such works?

Sexual pleasure is a gift from God, within the marriage relationship. Certainly, we should share this wonderful information with our daughters on the eve of their own marriage but not before, lest they fall into sinful lusts. Rather, we should work towards filling the hearts and minds of our daughters with “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable.” (Phil. 4:8) I am thankfully forgiven for not being diligent in this area when my own daughters were reading the very popular Twilight series of books. I must stand up and help others avoid the same pitfall, though.

Sisters in Christ, I call upon you to help me guard the hearts and minds of our daughters. I know they will be entering the world soon enough, faced with such dangers on their own. Help me equip them to avoid these temptations rather than give in to them, though! I encourage you to stand up and set a good example for all of the daughters in God’s kingdom. Go before them, shining the Light of Jesus in their path, leading them in ways which are pleasing in His sight.

Edited to add link to online review of this book series:
http://www.pluggedinonline.com/read/read/a0004206.cfm

Cowboy Z, aka, "Siberian Cowboy"

2008-10-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Zhenya spent a couple of days with a good friend of ours who also happens to be a genuine southern cowboy. These are the "duds" he was given, for working on the farm with him. We are very excited about this budding relationship, as our friend is a wonderfully godly older gentleman who will be a great influence on our Siberian Cowboy!

Essay From the Heart

2008-10-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

Some of the regular readers of this blog may not frequent the other one I post on, so I wanted to make sure and share the link to an essay that Zhenya wrote with you. Be sure to take tissues with you!

Stayin' Alive

2008-10-16T05:59:00.000-07:00

Anna loves to snap photos with my camera, and she took this one the other day of me while I was doing schoolwork. The new schedule and classes are going well, but keeping me very busy. We were disappointed enough in two of the courses to stop them and start new ones, so hopefully we will progress better from here on out.

Bob and I were talking this morning about all that has gone on in the past year, and it is no wonder we seem tired most of the time! It is our prayer that we will remain faithful to the Lord, as He blesses us with each opportunity to serve Him.

I Love My Kids, But...

2008-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am also very much enjoying having a temporarily "empty nest" this weekend! The silence is amazing! All of our kids except Tessa (visiting Jennifer in Michigan) and Zhenya (helping a friend paint and then working today and tomorrow) have gone to an annual youth function which our church sponspors, called Reformation Now. This is the first year that all of them have gone, I believe. In the past, Bob and I have taken this opportunity to have a weekend away from home, but as we considered that for this year, we realized that ALL of our kids would be gone at the same time, giving us the desired break in our own home. :-) The kids love this weekend each year and so do we. It is wonderful to rest in the knowledge that they are hearing solid biblical teaching from doctrinally sound teachers, and they are also staying in homes of people whose lives are very much a part of our own. I know it will be difficult to get used to an empty nest once they all leave and are out on their own but, for now, I am very much enjoying the quiet.

Waters of Baptism

2008-09-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

Two of our daughters were baptized this past Sunday and they have given me permission to share their testimonies on my blog. God has done much work in the lives of these girls and we have been incredibly blessed to see them come to know Him over the past couple of years. The message of Romans 8:28-29 was pivotal in helping them understand the grace and mercy of God, as they have been through such difficult times in their short lives. Here are their testimonies, as they read them before our church:

MY TESTIMONY
Before Christ, my life was very different. I remember, when I lived in Vietnam I disrespected my mom a lot of the time. Sometimes I'd fight with her when she tried to discipline me. We hardly had any happy family moments because of arguing and yelling. After my mom died I felt regret for what I did to her and I wished that I could take it all back and fix it.

Several months after her death, my two sisters and I went to the orphanage for two years. Then we got adopted by an American family from Seattle. Life there was challenging and I was confused about the whole new world and the new family. I remember that there was a lot of anger in me. Most of the time we would get punished for not obeying the rules or if we didn't do it in the right way. I didn't understand what to do to obey.

We went to a Catholic church but I didn't understand anything about it. They decided that they couldn't handle us anymore after we lived with them for nine months. I was adopted by the Edwards family and two of my sisters were adopted by a family in Canada.

When I came to the Edwards family, things were a whole lot better. I felt more myself and I wasn't afraid that they would punish me for the wrong reasons or disrupt me. Even though I felt like this, my heart was still hard. For long time I was angry at God for taking my biological mom and then taking my sisters away from me. I didn't understand why He did it. I thought He said He loved me. I was so confused. I continued to disrespect my new parents and I got in trouble quite a bit.

In my new family, my dad taught me a lot about Christ. Going to church and being around Christians showed me a lot of good examples. Later I came to understand that God works all things together for good and He does things for a purpose as Roman 8:28 says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Even though I understood this I still felt mad.

Last summer, I was having a hard time with myself. I was doing things that I wasn't supposed to do and I got in arguments with my parents. I decided I wanted to run away and kill myself. I sat in the middle of the road wishing that cars would just run over me. I wanted my life to end. I was so mad at myself and my parents. But then I questioned myself. Why do I want to die? And then Christ showed me that we are made for a purpose, made to live for Him and to glorify Him. I'm a sinner and I need Christ so I repented that day. I made my parents' authority more important than mine. I want to obey God's commands as much as possible. I also told myself that no matter what happened in the past, God did it for a reason and He did it for my own good.
I feel happier with Christ and I'm aware of my sins. I'm a sinner and I'm still learning about Him. Roman 3:23-24 says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.I have no idea what His plan for my life is, but I am willing to follow wherever He leads me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY TESTIMONY
I lived in an Orphanage for 8 years in Kazakhstan. I was taught to be kind, thoughtful, and obedient. To the caretakers eyes I was that, but in my heart I knew that I was deceptive. I was adopted at the age of 8. I had no idea what was going on, but at least I was getting out of there. I didn't know what a family was or how I as a daughter should act , but things went well at first. As time went on things seemed to get worse. I got in trouble so many times, but never knew why. Later, I started to lie,steal,cheat and sneak around. I had so much anger in me that I started to physically hurt myself, thinking that would solve everything.

I went to a huge church but I never listened to the pastor. As days passed I felt like nothing would change. I continued to disobey and my anger grew more toward people and myself. I wanted a new life, a life where I could finally be happy. I found out that I was going to go to a different family by sneaking around in my parents room when no one was there. I was happy, but I also realized that I was a sinner. I tried to be a better daughter,but it was hard since I knew that I would be leaving soon. When I found out that I was going to go to a bigger family I thought that things would never get better there, either.

In the beginning, at the Edwards home, things went well, but I still had all that anger and hurt in me. I wanted it out of me but I didn't know how. As time went on I started to reveal how I really felt. I had so much anger ,hate and other problems that I really needed help with. I thought about God and why He did all these things in my life. I didn't understand why a loving God would let all these things happen. Every night I thought about this. I prayed to Him to help me understand why He did all this. It wasn't until I read the verse Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

I understood that God lets things happen for my own good. This is His way of showing me His Love. "Another thing that struck me was that Jesus came down to earth to die for us. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I understood that I was a sinner without Christ and I would be lost without Him. I knew I needed His help, but my pride was pulling me away. I went to Him and asked Him to save me. I thought I was fully Christian, but I still had that anger in me. My pride stood in the way of life. It seemed that life would always treat me bad. I asked God to help me not be so prideful and to help me overcome my anger.

I am still sinful and full of pride, but I know that God loves me and I know that all things happen for good reasons even when it seems to be bad at the time.
Christ is my savior and I love Him.

My New "Purple Humbler"

2008-09-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Shawn was doing donuts with me in my new "Purple Humbler".

This has been a challenging week for me, physically. And, of course, when the physical challenges come, so do the spiritual and emotional ones. Last Saturday I suddenly began having problems with my dystonia again. Basically, when I walk it triggers my chest to spasm every time I breath. The farther I walk, the worse it is, and stairs are very difficult. In the past, this has only lasted a couple of days, so I expected that it would follow that same plan. When it didn't, I decided to go and get some basic bloodwork done to rule out simple causes of the triggering (electrolyte problems, etc). I have not heard back from that blookwork yet. One of the things that disturbs me the most is not being able to go to church when this happens. I technically could ride in the van to the church, but the walk from the van to our seats in the sanctuary might was well be a marathon. This is what got me started thinking along the lines of getting a wheelchair. Some friends on a DBS yahoo groups encouraged me to consider a scooter, which I had never really considered an option. When I mentioned it to my GP, he didn't even bat an eye before agreeing to the scooter prescription. There is a pretty long process of having the insurance approve it, but the script is the start.

I had done some reading on the internet about scooters, and was disappointed to read of their susceptibility to EMI (elctromagnetic interference). Since my DBS system is also very suceptible to that, I wanted to make sure and try a scooter to see if it caused interference. Unfortunately it did. I tried over and over again, but Annmarie was with me and it was apparent to her that my spasms increased when I turned it on. The salesman had me try one of the electric wheelchairs and it did not cause interference, but the more we asked about them the more I realized that was not what I needed. They are way expensive and not easily transported.

Frustrated, I looked around the store and a purple chair caught my eye. It was a manual wheelchair and, even though I had thought I could not use a manual chair because I assumed it would cause spasms in my arms, I could not help but try it. It was much easier to use than I had thought it would be, and it was very comfortable. Because of this and the fact that it was PURPLE, I began to rethink the manual chair solution. (God certainly knew how to get my attention with that, didn't He?) I discovered that I could rent the chair for a week to see how it worked, before committing to the purchase of it, so that is what I have done.

It is taking some getting used to, I will admit that. Going out in public the first couple of times was awkward and, I have to admit, a bit embarrassing. It does seem to bother the elbow with tendonitis and also my wrist on that side, but after quite a bit of talking, Bob and I think this would be the best solution for my problem right now. It will allow me to go to church when I am having problems, but won't be much to maintain when I am not having problems. As he has graciously pointed out, it will also help others in our family learn to serve, as they push me in it at different times. ;-) I cannot go very far in it by myself, but I can go for short distances.

The world of wheelchairs is certainly different than I expected. Actually, I never really put much thought into it at all before this week. I am thankful that God provides options each time I am faced with new physical challenges, though, and I am also thankful for a houseful of teens who think my new Purple Humbler is "Sweet!" (That means "cool" in today's teen talk, by the way.)

My Beloved's Birthday

2008-09-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

Music used to be a very important part of Bob's life, and he hopes to reclaim that interest as he learns to play this acoustic guitar Ollie and the kids got him for his birthday. He seems to think it will be more conducive to family life than the other instrument he used to play...the tuba! I heartily agree!

Walking and Breathing

2008-09-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Normally, I am like most folks and I take for granted the ability to walk and breathe at the same time. When it is suddenly taken away from me, I really miss it, though. I had a sudden flare up of dystonia symptoms on Saturday and since then walking only a few steps makes my chest spasm each time I take a breath. I have gone from finally starting to enjoy neighborhood walks again to carefully planning my "trips" throughout the house. God certainly does know how to humble me rather quickly...

I hope this does not come across as complaining, as that is something I don't believe in doing. However, I never want to give the impression that I am a Super-Duper-Do-It-All-Mom. I am human, sinfully prideful, and easily frustrated when something like this happens. It usually takes me a few days to gather myself and get back on track, figuring out how to cope with the new challenges before me. These symptoms often go away after a day or so, but it has been four full days now and there is no indication of them letting up.

In times like this, I have to admit that I struggle knowing what to pray for. I truly want to glorify God in all that I say and do in my life, but I usually want to do it in a manner that is convenient and fits into my own schedule. I am thankful that God slows me down enough to see this sinful part of my life, but then I find myself thinking, "OK, now I have learned this lesson again, so you can put me back to normal." What if God's plan is for me to remain like this? What then? Would I gracefully be able to accept my limitations and make the necessary changes in my life to cope with the challenges? Would I indeed continue to strive to glorify God in all that I do?

Today it is my prayer that God would use me in whatever manner He chooses, whether it is walking, talking, and breathing simultaneously, or praising Him from a chair. May God grant me the grace to be thankful for the opportunities I am given to serve Him each and every day. Perhaps the next time someone asks me if I am OK as my chest spasms when I breathe, I will be able to say, "Yes, I am just savoring each breath that God gives me!"

Da Boys

2008-09-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Tucker's favorite place in the morning is next to Shawn or Trey as they are doing schoolwork.

A couple of bright eyed mischief makers, for sure!!

Driver's Beware!

2008-09-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Trey and Anna both got their Learner's Permits this week, so the roads will never be the same again!

Truthfully, I think they are as happy to have a real "photo ID" as they are to begin learning to drive. It is amazing how little you can actually get done in the business world without one (cashing checks, etc.).

Bob now has the distinct privilege (duty, job?) of teaching these two to drive. He has six driving certificates under his belt so far, so this will add two more to his credentials.

An Award!

2008-08-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, I got a blog award! Coffee Bean from The Righteous Buzz nominated me, even though it seems like I hardly have time to post anything these days. Coffee Bean is a fellow "dystonian" and it has been interesting getting to know her off of the typical bulletin board and email group settings. Now, I get the fun of nominating others for this prestigious award!

These are the official blog award rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate up to 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated.

So, here are my nominations, in no particular order:

Desert Pastor's Wife has been a good friend and sister in Christ for many years. Although we do not see each other very often these days, we keep in frequent contact via email. Her writing on this blog is sure to inspire and challenge you. She and her husband have just started the wonderful journey of adoption, as they have longed to do for many years. God has blessed them with a beautiful young woman who 2 1/2 years and she is adding much sugar and spice to their lives these days!

Connie at Practicing Theology is another sister in Christ and who we were able to visit with this summer, on our trip to Oklahoma. What a wonderful reunion that was, as we watched our girls get to know their two daughters better. We had the privilege of introducing Connie and her husband to the wonderful world of adoption and also of supporting them throughout a challenging Russian adoption.

Ukraniac is someone I have only recently met on the blogosphere. She and her husband live and minister in Ukraine and I very much enjoy reading her perspective on that part of the world. I hope to have an opportunity to meet her this spring, as they will actually be here in our hometown!

Lisa at Deo Volente is a friend who used to attend the same church we did in Tulsa. I have actually had more of an opportunity to get to know her over the internet since we both moved away, though I do hope to be able to spend time with her in person one of these days. Lisa is a godly friend who is full of energy and spunk, and who is also working on accepting her limitations during this particular season of her life (a challenge for those of us who want to "do it all").

I have very much enjoyed getting to know Suzette at Bringing Our Boys Home , these past few months. She first contacted us through our adoption blog and it has been a true joy to walk alongside her as they traveled to the Ukraine to bring Vitalik and Eli home. Her desire to parent these young men in a godly manner has been such an encouragement and I very much hope to have a chance to meet their entire family one of these days!

This list cannot be complete without me nominating the blogs that our two sons have started. This may not be a "cool" award that will be posted on their blogs, but I will nominate them, nonetheless, and perhaps they will get a few more readers that way. Trey (15 years old) has been blogging for some time now, and is currently writing on Youth of Eternity. The word we have used to describe Trey since the moment of his birth has been "exuberant", and this character trait comes through well in his writing! Visit his blog and see for yourself!

And, lastly, but surely not least, I nominate Shawn at Musings of a Young Christian Writer. He is just beginning his blogging career, but shows much promise. Although he is our youngest, he has a strong grasp of reality and is a deep thinker. He enjoyed taking a Systematic Theology course with Dad this past summer and has a desire to serve the Lord in his life.

So, there you go! Enjoy perusing the blogs of these dear friends (and sons), as they all come quite highly recommended by me. Thanks for the opportunity to do this, Coffee Bean!

Vote for Dystonia Symposium!

2008-08-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Please join me in voting for this Dystonia Symposium to be chosen as a worthy project by American Express. If you do not have an American Express card, you will need to sign up as Guest and then log in, but it is really very easy! Hey, I did it, after all! ;-)

Our 2008/2009 Students

2008-08-15T14:23:00.001-07:00

These are the (wonderful) reasons that I have been too busy to post on my blog much lately:

Anna, age 16, doing Teaching Textbooks math:
Kathryn, age 18, reading _Poems of Kipling_.
Shawn, age 12, reading Bunyan's, _The Holy War_ (and enjoying his coffee).
Trey, age 15, working on Apologia Chemistry.
Naomi, age 17, doing BJU's World History.

Vanya, age 17, working on BJU's Cultural Geography.
I hope it is not against any rules, but I am actually reading our new BJU textbooks along with the kids, but since I was the photographer, there is no photo of me to post!

Amazing August!

2008-08-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post about the weather - as a matter of fact, I am not sure I have ever posted about the weather before, but... We are having the most amazing August that I have ever experienced in Alabama!! :-o It is so cool right now that I am able to have the windows open and the air conditioner off! The afternoon high temperatures are in the 80's and the lows are in the 60's, which is quite unusual for August in Alabama. Each evening, when I go to water my flowers, they need less and less water as the days go on.

Although this is not a blessing we asked for, I am ever thankful to our wondrous God for providing it!

May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. Psalm 104:31-33

Praising God for His Timing!

2008-08-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

I was in tears this afternoon when I got the news from our mechanic. Just as Naomi and Kathryn got home from a sleepover, having dropped Anna off to babysit, Naomi ran into the house, eyes wide with fear and words coming faster than she could seem to think, "Mom! I just took the keys out of the van and then gas went everywhere!" She was panicked, so we hurried outside to see what had happened. It was not gas, but rather radiator fluid that had "gone everywhere", and she was quite right. What was apparently the entire contents of the radiator ran across our driveway, as steam came from under the hood of the van. We assured her that she had not done anything wrong, and that it was probably a hose that had busted, but we were thankful that they had made it home before it happened. Little did we know...

I called AAA and had the van towed to the shop we use and the mechanic just called to tell me the news. He said, "I have never seen anything like that - your radiator basically exploded!" It hit me like a ton of bricks that the girls had just driven about 20 miles, including some on the highway at 70 mph, but God was so good to not let this happen until they drove into the driveway!! If this had happened on the highway at top speed, there is little hope that they would not have had a devastating accident. Even on city streets, the danger was many times what it had been as she drove into our own driveway.

The same God who brought these three girls to us from the far reaches of the world, all via devastating first adoptions, protected them as they drove the twenty miles home today. We are so thankful that they made it safely and that we were able to witness God's perfect timing in their lives. What a wonderful testimony to His grace this is, in all of our lives! To Him be the glory, great things He has done!!

This Should Keep Us All Thinking - Video

2008-08-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple video with a very deep message. Thanks for sharing it with me, Shawn!

Logistics of a New School Year Day...Truthfully

2008-07-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

Folks often ask how we “do it”, regarding the busy-ness of having a large family. The truth is, sometimes we “do it” better than others! Getting started back to school this year has been a bit of a challenge. Having made many changes in our school schedule this year, I am now more of a taxi service than I used to be. Tessa is able to help with transportation some, as she has graduated and is not working full time yet, but we are not allowing our other students (including the drivers) to take time off of school for things other than doctors appointments, etc. So, how does my day go as I struggle to arrange logistics for eight kids during a “typical” school day? Follow along with me and see…

Oops! To start with, we now have NINE kids at home. This is a good thing, as we are excited that our 19 year old son has humbly come to us and asked to move back in while he comes up with more of a plan for his life, but it does add logistical issues to the day. Why, you ask? Well, it has a lot to do with his recent car accident, that left him not only without a vehicle, but culpable for the costs of all three cars involved (had no insurance).

To continue… He has to be at work at 10:00. Not a big deal, really. I will arrange to have Kathryn ding the bell we use to signal class changes while I am gone. (She did a marvelous job, according to reports I received.)

However, the rest of the day presents more of a challenge… I need to buy groceries at Sam’s, which is something we do once a week. Irina is the only person here who can go with me (I always take one or two of the kids to help in the store and loading the van), as she is not doing school. We normally go (I am a creature of habit and have a hard time with c-h-a-n-g-e) around 12:30, but if we do that there will be no one available to help us bring groceries inside when we got home (can’t disturb the students who finish at 3:00, you know). A later departure time is called for, obviously.

Since Zhenya needs to be picked up at work at 2:00, we can work that into our Sam’s trip. He also needs to needs to go to the bank to get money for his court appearance this afternoon (ticket from accident), but since I need to deposit a check, get cash for groceries, and have a document notarized, that will work out well. We will then bring him home before we go to Sam’s for groceries. His court appearance is at 4:45 and Tessa will be able to take him, as long as he tells her how to get there. Since Shawn needs to go to a neighbor’s house to get directions on how to care for her cats while she is gone, Tessa can drop him off on the way to the police station with Zhenya. (Note from later: Very little ever actually goes according to “plan” around here. Zhenya decided to go to a friend’s house and have Tessa pick him up there, after she dropped Shawn off. However, when we got home from Sam’s, Zhenya was still there, as the friend had not been home. The neighbor actually came by and picked Shawn up AND brought him home. Poor Tessa’s head was spinning.)

I should then arrive home and have lots of help unloading the vans, from kids relieved to be finished with a school day. Shawn will either walk home or be brought by the neighbor, so no transportation needed there (see previous note from later). Zhenya does not know how long he will be at the police station, so Tessa will leave him and he will call us when he is ready to be picked up. Ahhhh, finished for the day. But wait! What about Irina’s “date” with her mentor from church?! Oh yes, she will pick her up and bring her home – no problem there.

(Somewhere in here I managed to fit in some grading of school papers and doing typical "teacher stuff"... Or at least I think I did...)

Tomorrow looks much more easy to deal with… at least for now. Just one simple thing at 11:30 – a lunch at church. But then, I do need to have the transmission on the van rechecked and they said it would only take ten minutes, so could I get that done on the way home…. I wonder what time Zhenya goes to work….
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Now is the time for truth. “How did I do it,” today? Well, after picking Zhenya up at traffic court, stopping by the shop to get some things out of his sad looking car (no way he will be getting that car fixed), dropping him off at WalMart to get a prepaid phone card and cruising the parking lot waiting for him, then finally getting home, I collapsed in my recliner and posted the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. I was dangerously close to being a puddle of exhausted tears. A few minutes of peace and quiet helped minimally, but by the end of our Bible Study I was indeed crying if anyone so much as breathed in my direction (crying easily seems to be a side effect of my brain surgery). I fell into bed at 9:20pm that evening, emotionally, physically, and spiritually at the end of my (human) rope.

Thankfully, most days are not as hectic as this one was. However, there is no doubt that I “do it” better some days than I do on others. It is by the grace of God that I am able to “do it” at all, though. This life God has blessed me with is a wonderful one and I am ever thankful for the opportunities He gives me daily to serve Him. Perhaps the biggest challenge is slowing down enough (yes, even with 9 kids at home) to see His way and not barging on ahead in my direction, though.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 12:27

Reproofs - A Puritan Prayer

2008-07-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

From _The Valley of Vision_:

O Merciful God,

When I hear of disagreeable things amongst Christians,
it brings an additional weight and burden on my spirit;
I come to thee in my distress and make lamentable complaint;
Teach me how to take reproofs from friends,
even though I think I do not deserve them;
Use them to make me tenderly afraid of sin,
more jealous over myself,
more concerned to keep heart and life unblameable;
Cause them to help me to reflect on my want of spirituality,
to abhor myself,
to look upon myself as unworthy,
and make them beneficial to my soul.

May all thy people know how little, mean, and vile I am,
that they may see I am nothing,
to be accounted nothing,
that so they may pray for me aright,
and have not the least dependence upon me.

It is sweet to be nothing and have nothing,
and to be fed with crumbs from thy hands.
Blessed be thy Name for anything that life brings.
How do poor souls live who have not thee,
or when helpless have no God to go to,
who feel not the constraining force of thy love,
and the sweetness of communion?

Oh how admirably dost thou captivate my soul,
making all desires and affections centre on thee!
Give me such vivacity in religion,
that I may be able to take all reproofs from other men,
as from thy hands,
and glorify thee for them
from a sense of thy beneficent love
and of my need to have my pride destroyed.

Vacation Photos - With Family

2008-07-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken during the second half of our vacation, while we were visiting with family. This is Trey, jumping into the very same community swimming pool that I used to swim in every day during my summers at home.

This was taken during the time when we reserved the community room at a local bank and invited friends and family to come and visit our family. They are with a cousin in this photo.

This is a dear photo of our girls and a cousin with my mother. I love the way Kathryn is leaning into her, as this was Kat's first time to meet my parents.

This is me with my Dad. Can you see a resemblance?

This is an excellent illustration of how tired we all were by the end of the week!!

It was great to come home, but we had a wonderful time and made many memories that we hope to take with us for years to come during this trip.

Vacation Photos from Tulsa

2008-07-26T19:34:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos taken during our vacation time spent in Tulsa (sorry about the mix up - these should have been posted first, as this was actually the beginning of the vacation). The first photo is of our boys visiting with a friend at Ci Ci's, after lunch on Sunday.

This is some of our girls visiting with some friends, in the home where Bob and I and the boys stayed.

This is a photo of us with some dear friends, as we visited and enjoyed each other's company after lunch at Ci Ci's.

These are our girls with the wonderful friend who opened her home to them while we were in Tulsa.

As you can see by all of the smiling faces, we had a wonderful time!

A Word on Dystonia

2008-07-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

As we rest and recover from the wonderful and tiring trip we made last week, dystonia remains my constant companion. I am very thankful for the blessing of Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, and even for the dystonia itself, at times. However, there is no doubting the fact that this companion adds challenges to my life on a daily basis. Learning to cope with issues is ever changing and varied, depending on the particular stresses in my life and how my body reacts to them.

Many people remain undiagnosed with dystonia, as it is a little known and even less understood illness, even in the medical community. Those who are close to me have learned much the past couple of years regarding dystonia and other movement disorders, along with me. I do my best to educate people I come in contact with and, in that vein, I would encourage anyone who reads this post to visit the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation, Inc. website. It is very informative and educational regarding these two illnesses which are often closely related. (The one medication which has worked for me has actually been a Parkinson's medication, as a matter of fact.)

Please feel free to share this information, particularly with anyone you might suspect of having dystonia. It could make a huge difference in their life.

We're Back!!! And Tired...

2008-07-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it home safely, but are pretty tired right now. I promise vacation photos soon - once we rest up a bit!! :-)

On the Road Again...

2008-07-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

We are leaving this Saturday, July 12, on a trip to Oklahoma to visit family and friends. It has been four long years since we have made such a trip, and all of the kids are looking forward to it! Even Sergei and Zhenya were planning on going, but Sergei has had brake problems with his car and they are "iffy" at this point. We also had to have mechanical work done - a rebuilt transmission on one of our vans. Ugh. We are very thankful that it was discovered BEFORE we left, though.

So, ten or twelve people, in either two or three vehicles, will be "taking off" early Saturday morning on a wonderful adventure! You should see the kids scrambling to fit everything into the small amount of luggage we are allowing. :-)

Kathryn's 18th Birthday

2008-07-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Kathryn, some sisters, and some friends, celebrating her 18th birthday:

Speaking of Trey...

2008-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

How do you like the new header? Trey noticed that my old one was "fuzzy" and offered to help make me a new one. The photo is of some petunias I am growing on my deck. Thanks, Trey!

Trey, Doing Hard Things

2008-06-25T12:29:00.001-07:00

Check out Trey's new blog, as he grows more and more in his walk with his Lord and Savior:

http://youthofeternity.wordpress.com/

Heart Thoughts From a Special Needs Parent

2008-06-11T19:46:00.001-07:00

I have been given permission to post this beautiful essay, written by Kathy Rosenow, mother of the family in the video below:

It was just one of those days, and the shoes were the final straw for me. It was Sunday. We were moving through the typical Sunday rush of trying to get eighteen people out the door to church with clothes that matched and also fit the bodies wearing them, no signs of breakfast on faces, and diaper and cath bags all properly packed. I was, as usual for Sunday mornings, closed up in my room doing hair on each girl - one at a time. While moving through the routine of plugging in curling irons, digging through the hairbow box, and drying my own hair, I had been pondering some topics from a recent discussion with Scott involving some language issues with Madlin that seem to be related to her learning disabilities. Mainly these centered around whether or not more testing would help us know how to help her more. Sigh.... more testing? We've been down this road enough times to know that often this is just a waste of time and money. But not always, and therein lay the dilemma.

While I was thinking through these things again, our twenty-five year old developmentally disabled daughter Erin came in so that I could help her fix her hair. While I was working on that, she started to talk through tears about her time at the theater the night before. Our older sons often take her out to a movie and sometimes dinner since she doesn't get to do these kinds of things very often. They had all gone to see the Indiana Jones movie the night before, and while she was waiting for the boys to buy tickets, she had noticed an older girl with two younger ones, also waiting to buy tickets. She overheard this girl tell someone that she was twenty-five and that she was taking her younger sisters to see a movie that night. Erin said to me, "I kept thinking that if I didn't have this disability, would I maybe be taking my sisters to movies, too? I wish I could do that." Oh, man. There it was. That old familiar knife-in-the-stomach pain that I have mostly learned to live with. I was running late and felt completely unable to come up with the words of comfort and wisdom that I knew I needed to come up with. I muttered something about knowing that God didn't make mistakes and that, as bad as it hurts sometimes, we have to trust Him to decide the paths of our lives. It mostly sounded to me like, "Blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah." I wondered if it also sounded like that to Erin. I shoved away the feelings of sadness and guilt and moved onto the next girl in the rapidly growing line outside my bedroom door.

One by one I managed to complete a fairly decent "do" for each girl. Kathryn was very "on" today and so excited because she was planning to walk into church again this Sunday with the aid of her new crocodile walker that her PT is training her to use. Last Sunday was the first time she had ever done that all the way from the front door to the two "Rosenow rows" in the sanctuary, and then all the way back to the van after church. She was especially excited because I had just gotten her a new pair of Sunday shoes to wear instead of her tennis shoes. Finding shoes that will fit over orthotics is no easy challenge. We've gotten pretty good at locating tennis shoes that will work, and a company called Hatchbacks makes a black dress shoe for girls. But Kathryn loves her sisters' white church shoes. Well, I found a darling little shoe made by Robeez in their new line called "Tredz" that fit over her braces. They weren't cheap, but we ordered her a pair, and they arrived just this week. Beautiful white slippers with little pink flowers on them - very "Kathryn." She was so thrilled that she went into her little CP grin and got stuck there for quite a while when she saw them the first time. I thought her face would freeze like that. She isn't very verbal yet, but she had made it clear that she couldn't wait for Sunday.

After all of the girls were adequately coiffed, I made my way downstairs where I started helping get braces on and complete the final round of toothbrushing, potty runs, and catheterizations while Scott got both vehicles ready to be loaded. As I was working on Kathryn's braces, Caelyn headed to the bathroom to cath herself, but her crutch hit the lid to a plastic toy bin that someone had left out. She went sprawling onto the floor, face hitting first. I was sure that she must've bloodied her nose or mouth, but she got up and stoically brushed aside a tear or two and assured me that she was fine as she continued to make her way to the bathroom. Aw, the knife again.

Colin, who is blind, walked into the basement door that someone had left open and hit his head as he was trying to find an empty bathroom. Ouch, I felt it again.

Once Caelyn got into the bathroom, she couldn't get her Mitrofanoff to drain with a catheter. Okay - uncork your SP drain and empty your bladder that way until your surgery (AGAIN!) next week to see what's doing on. More knife in the stomach, and this time it felt like someone was twisting it.

I told myself to shake it off. We are late and we have to get the vans loaded. Braces were in place on Kathryn's legs, and it was time for the big moment. It was time to put those new shoes on my little princess. But, no. They wouldn't go on. They fit on the braces without her sweet, fat little foot in them, but it didn't work with brace, shoe, and foot. My mind began to race, and the adrenaline began pumping - this is NOT happening. This stupid shoe IS going on those precious feet. I don't care what I have to do to make it happen. I WILL get these on her. I was determined as I saw the understanding begin to dawn in those big brown eyes of Kathryn's. I didn't want to see the disappointment that I knew would peep through eventually. Then suddenly, there it was. She can't express it, but she knew that Mommy couldn't make her new shoes go on.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but this was just too much for me. I slumped to the family room floor and just let the knife go in as far as it would go. I just stared and wallowed in the pain, and let the tears start to fall while Kathryn stared at me. Why did this seem so impossibly hard to accept? Why did I feel like I would never get up from that floor again - like all I wanted to do was draw all of my "broken" little ones to my heart and rock them and sing to them and put Band-Aids on all of their hurts and tell them that in a few days the hurts would all be gone. I don't know why, but that is what I wanted. Suddenly, it was all just too big and too hard.

I did manage, with Scott's help, to get Kathryn's old tennis shoes on her, and with her hair in a little bun and ringlets at her neck and temples, and with her lacy pink dress, she still looked beautiful - like the miracle child she is. We went to church, and she walked in wearing her tennis shoes. But it hurt. It hurt a lot, and the pain has stayed close to me all day.

I believe that others of you in this group must also have days like this. This is quite a journey we have embarked on, and not one to take lightly. And somedays we just have to cry and remind ourselves that we aren't strong enough to see this through. That we aren't wise enough to guide our children through the tumultuous and painful paths that their lives will follow. On those days, we have to let Him lift our chins so that we can look into His eyes and confess that we don't understand. And we have to rest on His chest, knowing that He cries with us and has promised never to leave us to do this without Him.

It was just one of those days, and now I have to go to sleep and pray for a brighter day tomorrow. I have to choose to focus on that incredibly deep dimple in Kathryn's left cheek, and Colin's great sense of humor and Caelyn's twinkle that survives surgery after surgery, Madlin's desire to overcome her challenges, Erin's gentle servant's heart - and Scott, the soul mate that God has chosen for me to travel alongside in this road of life. When I awake in the morning, my children's (and my own) brokenness will still be there, staring me in the face. But God will also be there, faithfully guiding me - and when I can't stand on my feet, carrying me. This is a blessed life, and we will all arrive home someday with the scars to prove it.

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

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Please pray for this family, the Rosenows, who give their entire beings to serve the Lord through these children.

It's Official!! Tessa is a Graduate!

2008-06-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

We were so pleased to share the graduation celebration with Tessa and the 2008 graduating class of Contemporary Education Academy today! A reception was held in our home in Tessa's honor following the ceremony.

Vanya's Birthday

2008-06-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Another birthday to celebrate! Vanya turned 17 years old on Tuesday, June 3. He has been our son since he was 8 1/2 years old, so I guess he has been "ours" now as long as he lived in Russia! Well, almost...

Vanya seems to be having a good summer this year. He is helping take care of a neighborhood cemetary, mowing our yard, doing other misc yard work, attending Dad's Father and Son Bible Study and various other activities. He went on the recent Father/Son camping trip and seemed to enjoy it great deal, too.

Next up - Tessa's graduation. Waiting in the wings - Father's Day, Ollie's Birthday, Kathryn's birthday - all by July 1!!

National Dystonia Awareness Week

2008-06-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I am a bit late in getting this posted, but this week has been National Dystonia Awareness Week. Check out this blog of a woman who has posted a video of herself with a particular type of dystonia. I have considered doing this, but don't have the technical know how yet.

Rosenow Family Home Building "Project"

2008-05-30T11:35:00.001-07:00

Hey, I finally figured out how to imbed a video! I may be a bit slow and behind the times, but I usually get there.

This is a really cute video of our friends, the Rosenows. They just brought home one more daughter, so the total is 17 children now. Some people in their community have come together to work on building a new home for their family. This was a huge surprise to the Rosenows and, in fact, had been going on for a while before they even heard about it. This home building project is totally completely separate from The Shepherd's Crook, the non profit organization that Scott and Kathy began and continue to run. I hope you enjoy the video. If you are interested in helping in any way, check out this blog for more information.

Cute Video

2008-05-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how to imbed videos yet, so check out this video on YouTube. Then, look around at the other videos of this little girl - she is absolutely amazing!

Win Free Stuff!

2008-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Tim Challies has some great sponsors for his monthly give aways!

Birds, Blooms, and Furry Critters

2008-05-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite spots - the corner of our deck, just outside our sunroom. I have lots of flowers on the deck (can't see them in this photo) and a feeding station. The feeder on the left is a squirrel proof one, the yellow and black is a finch feeder, the next one has safflower seeds which the clerk at Wild Birds Unlimited assured me would not appeal to squirrels (I don't think our squirrels have read that book, though) and the feeder on the end is a peanut feeder. Yes, I do feed the squirrels, but I like to make sure they don't get in the way of the birds eating, too. Above these feeders is a suet feeder, which is one of my favorites to watch. It is surprising to see what birds eat from it - mockingbirds, for one.

In this photo, I caught a chipmunk a split second before the squirrel (behind the peanuts) turned and chased him away. As you can tell by the chipmunk's body language, he was anticipating just that (tail over body).

The flower in the basket is my first attempt at growing Mexican Heather and it is doing well so far.

May Birthday Fun

2008-05-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Anna celebrated her 16th birthday and Naomi celebrated her 17th birthday this past week, although Anna's birthday is officially tomorrow (Naomi's was the 10th). They love to celebrate together, though, as it just seems to be more fun that way. As you can see, this year was no exception to that rule! They had friends over from church to help them celebrate and after the festivities at home they went rollerskating and the girls stayed overnight.

The next day they all went to the YMCA for the afternoon and then had another sleepover at the home of their Bible Study leader. I suspect this afternoon will be spent sleeping and resting - or at least it SHOULD be. ;-)

Prayers for China

2008-05-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

There is much pain and suffering in China today. Our daughter wanted to travel to her native land this summer, but it did not work out. I see the faces of parents as they wait to hear if their child was among the hundreds of dead in the schools and I feel their pain. So many children dead in a culture where only one child per family is allowed. Such pain...

Please join me in praying that this tragedy will bring hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens to their knees before the Holy God of the universe. May the parents of China today cry out to God as their Lord and Savior.

Aspects of Motherhood

2008-05-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate Mother's Day this year, I have been struck by the many different directions I find my thoughts going in regards to mothers. In the forefront of those thoughts, has been the joy with which we have watched our own daughter become a wonderful and loving Mommy. What a delight it was to see her play with, love, cuddle, and care for her newborn babe. Our hearts were warmed so much to see the maturity that motherhood had brought into Jennifer's life.

I actually remembered to get a card in the mail early enough for my own mother, for a change, too. We took Bob's mother out to lunch yesterday, beating the Mother's Day rush and enjoying a nice and leisurely lunch with just the three of us.

There are other mothers in the lives of adoptive families, and I have found my thoughts wandering towards them this year, too. I don't think of them often, but when I do I wonder what the lives are like for the ones who are still on this earth. Where are their hearts and do they wonder about their children?

Most of all, though, my heart is full as I look at photos such as these and see the joy in our daughter's eyes as she cherishes her own daughter.

Beware the Lemonade!!

2008-05-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Be sure to check out what drink you are giving your kids this summer! Check out this link for some pointers, making sure to watch the videos at the bottom of the post.

School's Out and Other Stuff

2008-05-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school for the kids, except for Tessa (she is working diligently to finish her math and chemistry books so that she can GRADUATE this year). Of course, there is plenty of work left for Teacher Mom - filing, organizing, compiling statistics, etc., but I will be able to do it without the added work of checking papers hanging over my head for now.

Did I mention that Tessa is GRADUATING?!!! Wow. It seems like just yesterday we got the ABeka Kindergarten curriculum in the mail and I sat down at the kitchen table in our little duplex in Tulsa to teach her the "right way". I soon learned that I was NOT the classroom type of homeschool teacher and we ditched the "say these words" teacher books. ;-) Since then she has alternately thrived, struggled, learned, kicked and screamed, and zoomed through all of these school years. Homeschooling her has been a blessing and a challenge, all wrapped up in one package. She will be participating in the graduation ceremonies with nine other homeschool graduates on June 7. All local friends and family members (and any out-of-towners, too) are invited to attend and then join us in our home for a celebration reception.

In other news, my dystonia continues to be a struggle on a daily basis. I was told this week by my neurologist that he was not sure he could help me much more through programming my DBS system. I was blessed with relief as I left his office, but the dystonic spasms returned just this morning. We are praying for the wisdom to know where to go from here. Do we seek another opinion or only work on coping techniques? All prayers would be greatly appreciated.

A Wonderful Father

2008-04-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

For a refreshing and delightful view of a father's relationship with his son, read this.

More Baby Photos

2008-04-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Not sure I need to write any words to go with these photos! We have very much enjoyed having Jennifer and Annalia here this past week and will be sad to see her go back home tomorrow. What a blessing indeed grandchildren are!

Annalia Times Two

2008-04-17T07:54:00.001-07:00

Jennifer and Annalia are here for a visit and we are having lots of fun playing with the baby! This is Annalia (the big girl, usually known as Anna) and Annalia (the little girl, usually known as Annalia).

Adoption 3:16

2008-04-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

OK, I admit it. I have been "cheating" on this blog. Well, not exactly, but I have been working on another blog recently. The goal of this new blog is to provide biblical counseling to parents of older adopted children. Feel free to share this blog with anyone you know who might benefit from reading the posts.

http://adoption316.wordpress.com/

The Gift, The Temptation

2008-04-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

As I approach the one year anniversary of my Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, I find myself pondering the question many people ask, "Would you make the same decision again, if given the chance?" Honestly, this has not been a question that I was certain I could answer in the affirmative until recently. My last programming session was Feb. 22 and I have enjoyed 95% relief since that date, thankfully. The dystonia is still there, though, as I am often reminded when confronted with one of many triggers which cause it to come back temporarily.
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For children, the thrill of opening gifts at Christmastime and on birthdays is rarely surpassed by many other experiences. Even as adults we relish the thought of receiving a gift, especially when it is one which is chosen very carefully and thoughtfully, with our own needs and desires in mind.

God is, of course, the ultimate Giver of gifts. He knows our innermost thoughts, our wants, and desires. Most of all, He knows our needs. His gifts are perfect. They are longed for, prayed for, and strived after, yet freely given. God’s gifts can be more than we have ever dared hope for. In our human sinful state, they sometimes present temptations we never imagined, though. We must continually be on our guard against such tendencies, praying that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts would be pleasing to Him each and every day.

I have a neurological movement disorder called Generalized Dystonia. In my normal physical state, many different muscles in my body contract and release continually. All areas of my body are involved – from my feet and legs to my hands and arms – even my neck and head muscles and my eyes are not spared.

The severity of my dystonia comes and goes. In the worst of times, all of the above mentioned muscle groups are spasming at the same time, along with my abdominal muscles pulling my body into a fetal position. Any amount of exertion can cause spasms in my chest, which makes breathing difficult. Even a walk to the bathroom can take much time to recover from. Each and every “trip” to another room inside my own home must be carefully planned and choreographed at that point. When the dystonia is not at its worst, perhaps only my legs will spasm or my shoulders may draw together.

One year ago, God gave me a gift. It was called Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery. Electrodes were placed deep within my brain and wires were tunneled along my head, down my neck, and attached to battery packs in my chest. After a short period of post operative recovery, these battery packs (called neurostimulators) were activated and electrical impulses began traveling along the wires, into my brain. Within seconds, my muscles spasms stopped. For the first time in two years, I was able to sit absolutely still. My toes, feet, legs, hands, arms, shoulders –all were relaxed! The feeling was euphoric! What a wonderful gift God had given me through the hands of a neurosurgeon!

However, over the next few weeks, I discovered that the relief was not continuous. After only ten days the symptoms returned, much to my dismay. The past year has been a series of programming sessions which usually bring almost complete relief, lasting anywhere from 24 hours to two months following the programming.

Still, the relief I am granted from the Deep Brain Stimulation surgery is a gift from God. I am thankful for each and every moment that I am able to sit still, without my muscles spasming continually. During those times when I am experiencing relief, I often find myself drifting away from the Lord, though. I begin to feel like my “old self” – like I did before the dystonia began to attack my body. I start pushing my body to do more and more activities, some of which are triggers for the dystonia to return. I don’t need God as much during the good times, or at least it doesn’t seem like I do… The temptation to think I can do all things on my own, rather than through Christ, is strong. My walking cane is left behind and so is my Rock. In His mercy, God grants me small twinges of dystonia here and there, as a reminder of His gift.

Yet, when the dystonia returns full force – and it always has to date – I am right back at His feet, praying for Him to be my Strength when I am weak. Will I ever learn? Perhaps the gift is actually two fold. Dystonia, in an odd sort of way, has been a gift to me as much as the relief I get from the neurostimulation. In my weakened state, I am drawn closer to the Lord and I learn to better prioritize my life. When the dystonia symptoms return and I suddenly cannot walk and breathe at the same time, I become much better at determining what is important and what is not. My life slows down dramatically during these times and I spend more time at home, concentrating on my family. Indeed, although these days are physically very difficult to bear, they can be spiritually and emotionally fulfilling. Yet, temptations still loom over me at every turn – with dystonia comes the potential of falling into the trap of self pity.

In the end, I am human. God is the giver of perfect gifts, but in my sinful state I can mess just about anything up. Jesus Christ was the only perfect human and I am thankful for His sacrifice, which paid for my sins. Because of Him, I am able to confess these sins, rest in God’s forgiveness, pick myself up and continue on in my service to Him. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Moving Experiences

2008-03-30T15:23:00.001-07:00

Our family has had the privilege of helping three different families from our church move within nine days. This is a wonderful family ministry for us and the kids do a fantastic job of helping out during these times. The boys are big enough to actually be of some help now and the girls are good at carrying smaller items (well, sometimes even larger ones) and cleaning. Just today they cleaned the entire apartment of these friends as we were unloading at the new apartment and they are so excited for our friend to see that she will not have to do the work! :-) What a delightful way to share the love of the Lord in a very concrete manner.

Some of Naomi's Photos

2008-03-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of the photos that Naomi took in Vietnam. The top photo is of a typical kitchen in a home in her native village. The second photo is of her beloved uncle and his two sons. His wife died about a year ago and he is raising these boys with the help of others in the village. The third photo is of Naomi with Abby's (her half sister) brothers. The last photo is of homes in her village, with the mountains in the background. I have many more of her photos on an online gallery, so if you are interested in seeing them and have not recieved an invitation, let me know.

Naomi Home Safely!

2008-02-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

I am very happy to announce that Naomi arrived home safely this morning, after her month long trip to Vietnam! She had a wonderful time and brought back lots of stories and over 1100 photos! I will try to post some on here eventually.

We are very thankful for all of the prayers, but mostly for the grace of God, in bringing her home safely to us.

Unfortunately, she came home to a house full of the flu, however. Despite having had flu shots, Bob and I came down with it this weekend, during our delightful weekend "away" (had reserved a cabin at Joe Wheeler State Park). When we arrived home, we discovered that Tessa and Trey were also sick, and a quick swab test by our pediatrician confirmed the flu. Now that Naomi is home, we hope to quarantine ourselves until it is finished, praying all the time that Ollie is able to avoid catching it.

But, despite this minor setback, we rejoice in the reuniting of our family today, and in the wonderful time that Naomi had in Vietnam!

Tessa's 17th Birthday

2008-02-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

Tessa, our first born child, is now 17 years old. Wow, how time flies!!

Just Another Sunday at Our House

2008-02-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

The Sunday Spaghetti lunches we started a few months back are a lot of fun these days. Rarely a Sunday goes by that someone does not take us up on the offer of a spaghetti lunch. Today the youth group joined us for lunch and a video game tournament.

Waiting...

2008-02-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

For most of the year, this Christmas Cactus seems to be an unassuming, normal, green houseplant. However, around the end of December (oddly enough, considering the name) something wonderful begins to happen. Tiny buds appear on the ends of the leaves, and slowly - ever so slowly - they emerge into these delicately beautiful blossoms. The light shining through the pink petals is truly a delight to behold.

Why does this happen at one particular time of the year only? Why not in the middle of the summer, when the sun is at its peak? Why in the middle of the often dreary, cold, and wet winter? Because our God ordains it to be so. It is His perfect timing. Notice the tiny buds below the full flower. Is there anything at all that I can do to hasten their maturity? Gloriously, the answer is - absolutely not!! I must sit in my chair in the sunroom, water the plant as needed, and await the day that God chooses for each delicate bloom to emerge.

We are so often in a hurry these days and do not take the time to wait upon the Lord. His timing is not to be rushed or forced - it comes only with patience and (sometimes) a lot of waiting. Let us not grow weary of waiting, friends.

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Naomi Safely in Vietnam!

2008-02-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

I know I said I would use the comments section from here on, but I just have to announce that Kim and Naomi made it to Vietnam!

Although we have little details, we DO know now that Naomi and Kim made it to Vietnam safely and were in church when Kim's husband called (they are 13 hours ahead, so it is Sunday morning there). Thank you SO much for your prayers. I had a delightful talk with Kim's mother in law today, when I called to ask if they had any information. She was a vital part of us being brought together with Kim and her husband, but this was the first time I was able to talk to her. The conversation was a wonderful and God honoring one, ending with her praying with me over the phone. I have a feeling this is going to be a relationship that God will use mightily in our lives.

Travel Updates

2008-01-31T20:01:00.001-08:00

I will start a travel update post and hereafter post comments to add to the original update. Naomi and Kim both made it to LA safely, found each other, got Naomi's luggage, found their international gate, checked in, and are now waiting to leave on the international leg of their flight. All is well so far, although Naomi is starting to realize just HOW heavy all of that stuff is that she took with her. ;-) I guess you gotta learn by experience, huh?

From here, they will be flying until tomorrow evening, when they will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City. Hopefully they will spend the night with Kim's grandmother and then take the train to Quy Nhon, where Kim's family lives (a 12 hour train ride). I am not sure of the travel plans from there, but Naomi's village is another 7 hour train ride from Quy Nhon, so they will probably wait a few days to start that leg of the trip.

Naomi sounds very happy, although tired. I am sure she will at least get some rest on this next long flight. Thanks so much for your prayers. Updates will be posted as comments to this original post, unless I get more photos to share with you.

Naomi off to Vietnam!

2008-01-31T11:34:00.000-08:00

Naomi left this morning for her long awaited trip to Vietnam! Despite the butterflies in her tummy, she was very excited and looking forward to having a great time with Kim Taylor, her traveling companion who she is meeting up with in LA.

Please join us in praying for both of them these next three and a half weeks. Pray that God would prepare the way for a safe and healthy trip, for good visits with Naomi's relatives in her native village, and for Kim's visit with her family. Kim hopes to be able to bring her mother back to the US with her, so much work will need to be done to that end while she is there.

Although we sent Naomi armed with an arsenal of OTC medications, malaria prophylactic, water filter bottle, etc. we know that, most of all, they will need the grace of God to stay healthy and safe during this trip. They are scheduled to return Feb. 28. Stay tuned to this blog for regular updates, as I get news from Naomi.

January Birthdays

2008-01-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

We have a special birthday celebration each January, since three of our kids have birthdays one right after the other. There is a fun story about this "coincidence", too. Shawn was born to us first, on Jan. 27 of 1996. When we adopted Irina, in 1999, we were delighted to find out that her birthday was two days before his, on Jan. 25. Then, it seemed to be a gift from God when we found out that Zhenya's birthday fit right in between those two, on Jan. 26!! After learning of this, we took comfort in knowing that God had His hand in our adoption of him, Jennifer, and Sergei, although there were many rough spots along the way.

Irina is now 18 years old, Zhenya is 19, and Shawn is 12.

First Glance

2008-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of Jenny and Annalia's first glance at each other in person. Can you believe how alert this child was as a newborn?!!

Photo of Annalia!!!

2008-01-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

Isn't she just absolutely gorgeous?!!!! Oh, how I wish I could cuddle her and shower her with kisses!

Annalia is here!!!

2008-01-19T02:33:00.000-08:00

Well, she is actually in Michigan, but she was born healthy and safe this morning at 4:55am by C Section. She weighed 6 lb, 14oz and was 20 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well! Thanks SO much for your prayers!

Photos soon, hopefull!y!!!

Update on Jennifer

2008-01-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

It is probably about time to post an update on our VERY pregnant daughter, Jennifer! Her official due date is Jan. 18 - one week from tomorrow. Since she is under 5 ft tall, things have become quite uncomfortable for her in recent days, though. She is showing no signs of labor, but a non stress test today did at least show a contraction. An ultrasound showed a healthy baby, good heartbeat and FAT CHEEKS! :-) The baby has not been moving as much lately, but that is apparently due to the cramped quarters she is finding herself in these days.

She has two specific prayer requests:

That the baby would be born soon.

That she would not need a C Section.

I am also praying that Micah would be able to be in town when the baby is born, which at this time does not look humanly possible. He is down state, training for a new job which will help him to much better provide for his family in the long term.

Thanks!!

Boys! Boys! Boys!

2008-01-08T17:48:00.001-08:00

This has become the sound we so often hear bouncing off our walls these days, as we call for Charlie and Tucker to slow down! Boys!! Boys!! Boys!! Tucker is a young Border Collie (maybe a mix - we are not sure) whom we got to keep Charlie company, since he was becoming rather clingy after Sandy died. Tucker is NOTHING at all like Sandy, of course, as we could not bear that emtionally. Rather, he is much the opposite - smaller and faster than Charlie, often sneaking up behind him and pulling his feet out from under him much like he used to do to Sandy!

Early mornings and late evenings seem to be the time they choose to go on chases around the house. They run through rooms on the hardwood floors, sending papers and anything which is not nailed down flying into the air! It is hard to not laugh at them, as we reprimand them and make them settle down, though. And, the things Tucker chooses to chew on these days...Whew, we were certainly spoiled by our older dogs for such a long period of time! This will take some getting used to. As a matter of fact, it sometimes feels like we need to child proof our house again!

All Things New

2007-12-31T14:06:00.000-08:00

I was just reading in Revelation today how God will make "all things new" after the tribulation and it really meant a lot to me as we put 2007 behind us and look forward to a new year. Perhaps this has been best illustrated to me recently as I have been cleaning out our garage. I know that may seem an odd comparison, and it is far, far less meaningful than God making our world a new place, but as I have cleaned and discarded these past few days I somehow felt "cleansed". Emptying our garage of unused and unneeded items has been very therapeutic for me. Hauling bag after bag of trash to the curb was like emptying my life of old sinful habits and starting anew. As I organized the items that remained, it was refreshing to stand back and look upon the order that was not there before.

To a much greater degree, perhaps this will be what it will be like to look upon our new world. We will be cleansed from our sins and refreshed, ready to embark upon a new life where we will continually worship and glorify the Lord!

In my simple human state, I am so thankful that God provides me these small glimpses into who He is and what He wants from me. Jesus spoke in parables to the disciples so that they could more easily understand Him and God so often seems to show Himself in the simple world around me. The biggest challenge is slowing down long enough to hear that still, small voice as it whispers in my ear.

Isaiah 40:22

Consider this...

2007-12-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

Check out this website to meet a young girl who struggles with the same disorder I do - dystonia:

http://www.breannarose.org/default.asp

Then, consider helping them in a small way by downloading the beautiful song from this MySpace page:

MySpace.com/RoomForBreanna

Although Breanna's dystonia is much more severe than mine, I can very much relate to her struggles, and those of her parents. The proceeds of the song will be for this project:

Breanna's family have a home with the bedrooms and only bath up a steep flightof stairs - and because of Breanna's constant medical bills, etc, they can'tafford to make the home handicapped-accessible. So, two of my songwritingfriends and I (Nancy Vogl) wrote a special song to sell as a download to raise the moneyneeded to build a first-floor bedroom wing.

Feel free to pass this information along!

Christmas Blessings, Prelude

2007-12-25T18:12:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was indeed a blessed one in our home. We had the wonderful opportunity to start the festivities off by attending an informal service at our church, as we enjoyed singing, fellowship, and a short Christmas message for the kids.

On Christmas Eve, we all gathered together in our living room to open gifts, along with Jeremy and Annmarie Morgan and her two brothers, John and Corey, plus Zhenya and even Sergei showed up for a while. It was a wild time, as you can imagine! The audio would have been awesome, had we recorded it. ;-) We got into lots of "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" when folks opened their gifts, and then we started imitating whatever sounds the recipient made, which was very interesting. I daresay a good time was had by all.

Today, Christmas Day, Ollie and I spent most of the morning in the kitchen preparing our noon meal. This was actually fun, as we had some "intense fellowship" along the way. The Morgans joined us once again, as did Zhenya and Sergei. After a delicious lunch, Tessa and Kathryn led us in a delightful singing session and then we retired to the living room to watch "The Nativity Story".

More than anything, we are immensely blessed to be able to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on this day. I am thankful to have had our family together (Jennifer joined us for a while, via phone), and to have the freedom to raise our voices to the heavens in praise of God, who sent his Son as a lowly babe to be the Savior of the world.

A few (!!!) photos to follow.

Christmas Blessings 2007, Part I

2007-12-25T18:01:00.001-08:00

Annmarie seems to be enjoying her Christmas earrings!
The dogs had gifts, too, but they seemed to need a bit of help opening them (OK, I admit, the gifts DID keep them occupied why the people opened THEIR gifts, so there was an ulterior motive).
I cut off the gift, but Vanya got the Tetris game he had asked for, much to his delight.
Anna Banana is a monkey and she loves anything that has to do with them, like these socks!
Hmmm, this photo was supposed to go at the top, but I haven't gotten this posting multiple photos all figured out yet. This was the scene in our bedroom Christmas Eve, as the elves prepared the stockings (yes, our teens STILL love stockings).

Christmas Blessings 2007, Part II

2007-12-25T17:49:00.001-08:00

What is this? Kathryn teasing Tucker?! Anna seems interested in one of the many videos we got for Christmas this year.
I like the variety of things going on in this photo - Tessa is opening her gift, Annmarie is taking a photo of someone, Jeremy is opening our next Amazon box, Naomi is watching either Tessa or Annmarie, Cory is looking at his GameStop gift card (far left).
I warned her!! She would not smile for me, so I told her I would post this on the internet!!
The Genuine Article! Zhenya enjoys Oklahoma Sooner memorabilia and I "just happen" to have connections there who can make the purchases for less than we can order them via the internet!
This is a classic! The girls had no idea Dad was making bunny ears behind them. And then, there is the INCOMING wad of gift wrap that someone had thrown across the room, into the trash bag.

December Festivities

2007-12-11T14:30:00.001-08:00

My apologies to our Oklahoma relatives who are iced in, but we are enjoying unseasonably WARM weather here this December. We had a record high temperature of 75 (or 76 - I don't remember) yesterday and were supposed to break another record today.

We took a day off of school to rake our pastor's yard (photo above) and then we raked our own front yard. Many hands makes for quick work! It took us only an hour and forty five minutes to rake all of these bags. Don't worry, they were treated to all-they-could-eat pizza after all of that hard work!

An Amazing Project

2007-12-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

Visit this blog to read about a most amazing project for our friends, the Rosenows:
http://newhomecincinnati.blogspot.com/

We encourage you to help, if the Lord so leads you.

2007-11-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Trey's 15th birthday! Tomorrow is his actual birthday, but since today was a school day, we "had" to celebrate today (we take birthdays off of school).

Tribute to Sandy

2007-11-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

We have missed Sandy very much these last few days and Tessa and I have both written poems as a tribute to her. Here is mine:

Sandy – A Tribute

Puppy breath
Fuzzy fur
Sharp teeth
Golden blur

Puppy became a friend
Over the years
Faithful, loving
Always there, all ears

Understanding, gentle
Warm brown eyes
Forever friendly
How the years did fly

A life lived to serve
And that she did well
Our sweet Sandy
What our memories will tell

Never a whimper
Not a single complaint
Our turn to comfort
A friend in pain

A place in our hearts
She always will hold
Years of compassion
And a heart of gold

Until the end
Somersaults did she turn
And a permanent place
In our hearts did she earn

In loving memory of Sandy-
She came to us as a puppy in June of 1998 and departed a trusted friend, November 23, 2007
(I have to mention that she actually DID turn somersaults up until the end, especially when she was playing with Charlie. She always had a puppy personality, even at nine years old.)

Tessa's tribute:

Sandy

Brown
The color of her eyes
That shine like polished stones
In a setting of gold.

Pink
The color of a tongue
That soothed so many hurts
Calmed so many fears.

Gold
The color of her fur
Worn by many stroking hands
Smoothed by constant love.

Black
The color of a nose
Wet and cold, gently nudge
The arm of a sad child.

White
The color of a belly
Scratched by many hands
Her eyes closed in pleasure.

Oh Sandy how we loved you
More than you’ll ever know
I hope one day to see you
Wrapped in your Maker’s arms.

Your eyes as brightly shining
As stars within the sky
Your panting laughter ringing
Across the golden streets.

Your feet now strong and fleet
Your fur long and soft
Your body strong as puppyhood
Your heart beating strong.

Tessa actually wrote more, but it was about Sandy's actual death and I cannot bear to read that or post it at this point.

Marriage Testimony

2007-11-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

This is a dear friend and her husband's testimony of how God healed their broken marriage. I will have to get her to show me how to post the actual video on my blog, but here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=710ZOBP0S3c

Our Beloved Sandy is Gone

2007-11-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight our beloved Sandy died and our hearts are breaking. We are thankful for each day of the nine and one half years that God blessed us with her and we will miss her sorely. She was with us through each adoption and we often said that she was the best child therapist there could ever be. She understood what all of the kids confided to her when they came into our home and could not yet speak English.

Dearest Sandy, I will sure miss you.

Meet the Rosenows

2007-11-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

Follow this link to meet our dear friends, the Rosenows. Be sure to watch the video AND the Youtube video that their kids made (links on the right side of the page). There is a link on the sidebar of this blog to The Shepherd's Crook, the ministry that they direct.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071122/NEWS01/711220324/1056/COL02

Book Report

2007-11-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

I know - a flurry of activity on my part today! Well, I guess I am trying to make up for lost time - or at least a lack of postings. I would now like to share a book report that Trey wrote. We have seen some amazing changes take place in him recently and I think this writing reflects what God is doing in his heart.

_Life and Campaigns of Lt. General T.J. (Stonewall) Jackson_

(Mid Book Report)

I have really enjoyed this book, because it has been such an inspiration to me in this time while I am trying to discipline myself to get my school done on time, and to start a better work ethic in all that I do in my day-to-day life. He was a very self-discplined man, to the point of obsession. For example, he had a slight physical problem with artificial light, to the point that if he depended on it as a source of light on a regular basis, he would begin to have problems. The only time he would use fire as a source of light in his house was for his evening devotionals before he went to bed. He was so obsessed with his {spiritual} health, that he would never read a letter sent to him on Saturday evening, until Monday morning, since he would never do anything besides worship on Sunday. He would absolutely refuse to read it, no matter what his friends said.

One of his beliefs that I strongly agree with is the theory that anyone who wants to accomplish something can accomplish it ("where there is a will, there is a way"), if the person has a strong enough desire to accomplish it. He would often tell this to his friends, and the writer pointed out, that as far as anyone can determine, he never failed to accomplish an objective once he had said this.

He also had a constant desire to improve himself, no matter what the cost. At one point, he decided to learn how to speak better in public, so he joined a gentleman's club. He would come up with speeches, speak them to the crowd, and fail miserably. But, later in the same meeting, he would get up again and keep trying until he got it right, which usually took several tries.

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One of the biggest advantages I see in homeschooling is having the opportunity to participate so closely in the lives of our children. It is a delight to see them grow and change in areas like this, and to read about it in their school classwork.

An Idea on Time Creatures

2007-11-16T12:05:00.000-08:00

(I would like to share something that Shawn wrote. He is our youngest, at 11 years old, and can be quite the deep thinker at times.)

Have you ever thought about time? And I don't mean things like history or the future. I mean the fabric of time, the "idea of time", the realm of time, the world, or to use another term, the universe of time. Well, think with me for a second or few. What if there were some type of creatures that God created that existed and lived the same way we do, except that they lived and existed inside the realm, or world, of time. You probably think I'm crazy by now. I assure you that I'm not. Well, mostly not, anyway.

To expand and more explain my idea as much as I can - what if these creatures lived inside time and were just as much or more sentient than us, but that their natural habitat and existence is inside the fabric of time? They also move around just like us. We move around and exist in space, in our universe that God so mercifully created for us, right? Well, what if they are the same, except their world is time, their universe is time, their realm is time, their "planet" is time?

If you think about it, "we" move on time. In other words, we are always using time like a car, except we can't go backwards on time. So, we are always moving forwards on time. These creatures are always moving, living, existing, and traveling in and through time and God exists, rules, governs, and is sovereign outside of time. He has His own realm with connections into the others, through which He controls, is omnipotent, is all powerful, and rules the others. But we and these time creatures exist on, and in time.

God has already written the future for us, while these creatures are in time. So God, for them, doesn't write the future, but the present (since they live IN time and therefore have no future or past).

**********************************************************

OK, did you follow that? I am not sure about his logic and/or theology on this, but I was rather impressed with his depth of thinking (remember - he is 11 years old). I would be happy to pass any questions regarding his logic or theology along to him, as I am sure he would love an opportunity to think more on this topic.

Week of Thanksgiving

2007-11-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

It is always good to consider the blessings and challenges in our lives that we are thankful for around this time of the year (although it is even better to be continually thankful). This has been a particularly eventful year in the life of our family and God has taught us many things.

Here are a few of them:

Through my challenges with dystonia and brain surgery, He has taught me to slow down when necessary. This is/was a particularly difficult lesson for me to learn and I continue to have to need reminding of HOW to do it on a regular basis, though.

I have also learned to wait. Although I continue to be impatient at times, I am learning that time can be a valuable tool in many areas. When a new medical issue arises, I now try to wait before jumping to conclusions or calling a doctor. Often, the need for immediate response is not as real as it initially appeared.

God has taught my husband and I that we are not called to be successful parents - rather we are called to be faithful parents. This is a particularly meaningful lesson, since we have had to push our eldest son out of the nest due to rebellion and our next-to-the-oldest son has chosen to move out at the age of 18.

Here are a few other things that I am particularly thankful for:

The blood of Jesus Christ, which atones for my sins!

The saving grace of Jesus Christ in Shawn's life. He gave a public testimony and was baptized this past Sunday!

The saving grace of Jesus Christ in Trey's life. Just in the past few weeks we have seen absolutely amazing changes in him and he now seems to be "on fire for the Lord"!

A wonderful and godly husband who continually seeks to serve his Lord.

My best friend (other than the one mentioned above) and mother in law, who is such a blessing to me on a daily basis.

Each and every one of our children and the special challenges and blessings each of them bring to our hearts.

A wonderful, new son in law and the new life in our daughter's womb.

Medical insurance. Nuff' said. ;-)

Flowers. They are such a delightful gift from the Lord to me.

I may add more as they come to mind and as we approach this time of the year when we traditionally take time to be thankful.

50 Wedded Years!

2007-11-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

On October 21, 2007, my brothers, their families, three aunts and one cousin helped us celebrate our parents 50th wedding anniversary! It was a nice time, with lots of visiting and reminiscing. I have been so blessed to have wonderful parents such as these. I wish them many more happy years together!!

Wonderful Worship Service!

2007-11-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to report that I was able to sit in the church auditorium with my family this past Sunday!! It was wonderful to hear God's Word preached while sitting next to my loved ones, although I was blessed to have been able to sit in the crying room when I did have the interference problems.

My Brother, the Genius

2007-10-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

It has been six months since my DBS surgery for generalized dystonia. I have had mixed results – wonderful, but sporadic. However, after discontinuing one of the medications I was taking for the dystonia, I have enjoyed continued relief for the past five weeks! This is exciting and, I hope, a sign that things will finally “stick” now.

However, I have experienced “interference problems” with my DBS system almost from the beginning. Something as simple as walking into WalMart, through their theft detector devices, would send my body into intense spasms. According to Medtronic, the cause of this was increased stimulation to my brain. They encouraged me to avoid such situations, since they were not sure what that the increased stimulation was “doing to my brain”. Over the past few months, avoiding these situations has been very difficult, as I was never sure what source of interference lurked around the next corner. It became a daily challenge to search out these sources and avoid them. I have not been able to sit in our church auditorium for months, due to an unknown source of interference.

My brother works for a company that develops and manufactures products to help other companies test their own items to make sure they comply with FDA electromagnetic standards. Due to his background in this area, he was quite eager to see if he could also help me solve my own interference problem. Conveniently, there was a hill behind his house with six various types of towers on it. This provided a consistent source of interference for me, as we could drive up to the base of the hill and past the towers, thus giving me a good dose of muscle spasms due to strong interference problems. The first thing he did was to measure the magnetic field around this area, which was negligible. This knowledge helped him to realize that my problem was most likely due to certain radio frequencies rather than electromagnetic fields, as we had previously thought.

The next step was…aluminum foil!! My husband had been telling me for months that I just needed to wear an aluminum foil hat, so when I saw my brother with a roll of aluminum foil I cracked up! ;-) However, my laughter quickly turned to awe, as we drove past the towers with my foil covered head. I had NO interference problems!! The next round, he had me roll it up and only cover the top of my head. I had spasms with this, so my brother deduced that it was my neck wires that were picking up the interference and not the wires in my head.

Armed with this information, we headed up to Oklahoma for our parent’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration. There were many towers along the highway that caused my spasms to kick in – much more than I had ever seen in Alabama. We experimented with the foil as we passed them, removing it just as we passed a tower, only to have the spasms return immediately. This showed me how well the foil was breaking up the interference, but I have to admit that I remained skeptical regarding how well this would work overall. Besides, I could not see myself actually wearing a foil hat around all of the time!

Arthur continued to contemplate the issue and he finally mentioned that, since the problem was in my neck wires, perhaps a necklace would help to break up the electrical field, thus eliminating the interference. He told me to reach into his glove compartment and take out his car cell phone charger. I was instructed to wear it around my neck and see it if had the same effect as the foil. Much to my surprise, as we passed the next tower, I had NO interference problems! For the rest of the ride to Oklahoma, we experimented with the charger, much the same way we had with the foil. Over and over, we saw that when I wore it, I had no spasms as I passed the towers, but when I took it off, the spasms returned. This was getting very exciting!

I admit that I reserved final judgment until we could test the “solution” at a WalMart store, though, since their theft detectors were some of the worst ones I encountered. We soon had a chance to do just this, and I was so ecstatic to be able to walk (well, I think I soon started waltzing) back and forth through the theft detectors at WalMart, proudly wearing my car cell phone charger! The final test was to remove it and then walk back through the detectors, to make sure these were similar in nature to the other WalMart theft detectors that I had problems with. Sure enough, as soon as I walked through them bare necked, my body began twisting and spasming. I had to turn my neurostimulators off and back on, as this was the only way to alleviate the symptoms of interference.

Arthur and I then went to the jewelry department to take our experiment one step further. I chose a sterling silver chain and made my purchase, although I was a bit nervous and still wondering if something as simple as that could actually alleviate my interference problems. I put the necklace on and hesitantly walked through the exit doors, standing outside of them to see if I would soon be hit by spasms or not. It did not happen! I was so ecstatic that I ran back to the entrance, through the doors, and gave my brother the biggest hug ever, declaring to all the world what a true GENIUS he was!

As we began to tell the story to our relatives, they shared our excitement. My sister in law insisted on giving me a gold necklace that she had bought for my brother, which he never did like to wear. My dad gave me a copper necklace he had found someplace, so I was soon set with three different types of metal necklaces!
The drive back down to Texas was completely different than the drive north. The most interference I had was a tingle here or a twitch there – nothing to compare with the interference I had on the drive to Oklahoma.

So, after months and months of interference problems with my DBS system, my genius brother seems to have come up with a wonderful solution – wearing a necklace! This is a problem that neurosurgeons, electrical engineers, Medtronic representatives, and many others have not been able to solve. However, a wireless lab manager who was used to solving problems in a practical manner found a solution in only a couple of days. Granted, we will probably have to tweak the “system” as we find areas that are stronger than the solution, but my greatest hope is to be able to finally sit in our new church auditorium with my family – something I have not been able to do for months.

50th Anniversary

2007-10-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

I will be leaving on Wednesday to go to Oklahoma for my parents 50th wedding anniversary celebration. My brothers and I are hosting a small family gathering at the home of our aunt on Saturday to help them celebrate this milestone in their lives. We are very much looking forward to this time together - it has been two years since I have been back to Oklahoma for a visit, and that last visit was only about a 24 hour one!

It is always hard to leave home, though, and this is no exception. I will be gone for six days, which can seem like an eternity. A friend will come to help Ollie during the weekdays, and Bob will be here on the weekend. And, of course, everyone will be safely in the hands of our Sovereign God!

I wish I had a photo of my parents to post here, but I will have to settle for posting one later, after I return.

Blessings to all!