Archives for February 2006

I don't know if today was as bad as yesterday but it was close.  The animosity that began yesterday has certainly carried over to today.  And guess what?  Tomorrow is our 10 year anniversary.  Think Satan's working double time on us?  I do. 

You know, 80% of the time I handle life okay and can find my joy in the Lord.  But there is that 20% of the time that life just is the pits….or seems so.  It's hard to find my joy, to keep my head above water or feel appreciated.

When you work outside the home there is the “atta boys”, the bonuses, the raises, the pats on the back.  When you work at home there's “Where's my underwear?”, “How about singing me a song?”, “What's for dinner?”, “Have you washed, cleaned, vacuumed, dusted, scraped, picked up, said prayers, kissed goodnight, had sex, changed the diaper, fed the kids, and the list goes on and on.” 

It can be a thankless job.  And most of the time I'm okay with that.  Today, I'm not.  Maybe it's because my husband just got a raise.  Maybe it's because everyone loves to hear him preach.  Maybe it's because he's so good at what he does.  Maybe it's because he got an A++ Excellent on his performance review.  Maybe it's because I'm a rotten selfish self centered individual with nothing to do but have a pity party right now.

Maybe it's just Satan trying to ruin our 10th wedding anniversary.  Maybe it's just life.

Heaven.  Jesus.  Come quickly.  I'm not sure I can take much more.

Julie

I spent the day painting the den which started with the hallway many weeks ago.  I'm on my third gallon of paint and I'm almost done.  My house allows for me to begin in one room and then have to paint almost every other room because it's so open.  So, I began in the hallway and I've travelled to the den, then the dining room, then up the stairs to the loft and finally the loft (I'm only halfway up the stairs). 

Then I cooked dinner, we did baths, and decided on a trip to Home Depot and our local Christian bookstore to buy bibles for the boys. 

I think I just did too much today.  My husband and I never fight.  We disagree.  We get mad.  But we don't fight. 

Well, tonight in the CHRISTIAN bookstore it almost came to a fight.  Can you imagine?  Here we are buying BIBLEs for our kids and we're about to come to blows.  I think I almost threw one at him.  The kids were all excited and “Mama, Mama, Mama” was flying at me left and right.  They were pulling bibles off the shelf left and right.  My husband is trying to talk to me and I just about lost my mind. 

Now I'm home sitting on the bed watching The Bachelor.  Love in 5 dates.  Please!!

How do you handle all of the kids needing you, a husband trying to talk to you and trying to think all at one time?  I don't think I handle it very well.  Or at least I didn't tonight. 

My husband asked me if I wanted to talk tonight when we got home.  I guess the reason we never fight is because we always take time to cool off first.  I know how damaging my words can be.  I've used them to wound before.  So, I always make myself cool off first.  He's too important to wound the way my wicked heart wants to at times. 

Mommy overload.  I think that's what I've got.

Please check out DandelionSeeds blog for urgent prayer for Candace.  Sign up to pray.  Check latest on Candace.  Help lift this little girl up in prayer.  Thanks…….julie

Last night I had the privilege of gathering with 15 other ladies, most of whom I'd never met, to pray for my friend's 13 year old daughter who is entering into womanhood.

Her mom got this idea while listening to someone on the radio talking about gathering a group of men together to pray for his son as he entered into manhood.  The father chose several of his closest friends to gift his son with a letter of wisdom and then prayer.

Last night we each gave my friend's daughter a letter we'd handwritten with a small piece of advice or spiritual wisdom in it and a small gift to help her remember the occasion.  Some offered advice on relationships, some on purity, others wrote of loving God and ourselves, still others spoke of fun, friendships, forgiveness and the mistakes we made in our teenage years. 

We each read our letter aloud to her and told about our gift and why we'd chosen it.  Then we prayed for her as a group.

This was the most wonderful introduction into womanhood.  It was a Bar Mitzvah of sorts.  And I was amazed at how God brought each woman there for a specific reason.  We each had something different to share.  We each had a story to tell. 

The night meant as much if not more to her mother than it did to her I'm sure.  It will be in the years to come as her relationship with God becomes her own that He will bring back memories of last night. 

Since I forgot both my letter and my gift I plan on giving her a pretty box to keep all her gifts and letters in.  I can imagine her pulling it out of a closet or an attic 20 years from now and remembering how much her mom loved her because she cared enough to introduce her to womanhood in this way…..with others who had walked the road before her, with prayer and with love.

Some of the women there had prayed for my friend's daughter since she was in her mother’s womb.  How awesome to see this 13 year old blossoming young woman and to again be able to pray God's blessing over her life.

Here's a really silly photo of me, my middle son and my cousins on my recent trip to see my birthmom, uncle, and assorted other family members. 

Tomorrow we'll be on the road home again.  My hubbie was called upon to preach again today.  This is the second Sunday in a row he's done so.  Everyone has been sick with the flu or some type of bug.  Last Sunday he got about 30 minutes warning.  This week it was a day's notice.

He had a wonderful friend growing up named Greg.  Since he was preaching on teenagers  he got to tell stories about their rampages as teenagers.  Believe me, the stories are fantastically funny.  Since all ours are under the age of 7 he had to pull from his past. 

Did I tell you this is the second Sunday he's preached and the Lord has not allowed me to be there?  I'm not sure why but it's the way it's worked out. 

I love hearing my hubbie preach.  He has such a tender heart before the Lord and shines with the light of Jesus when he is teaching.  It's so humbling to know that God has brought him to this point in his walk with HIM.  Devoted, loving, sincere and vunerable before the Lord.

Praise God for men who love HIM. 

My hubbie is definitely one of them.

IN HIM

Julie (yea, you baby!!)

After a beautiful 75 degree day yesterday it's now sleeting and just above freezing.  As the saying goes in NC and SC….”If you don't like the weather, stick around, it'll be different tomorrow.”
BRRRRRrrrrr……

This weekend I'm going to see my birthmom (did you know I was adopted) and my best friend and my mom.  My sister is having surgery tomorrow so I'll get to check in on her too.  Hopefully, I'll see my brother and his son as well.  They all live in NC (well, my birth mother is visiting her brother).  So getting to see lots of people on one visit. 

My hubbie is staying with three of the kids and I'm taking my middle son to have some “special time” with him.  I don't feel like we get nearly as much time with him as I do with the other children.  He's all excited about getting to go with me.  And Nana is taking him shopping for his birthday.  This year has been like the neverending birthday.  It began last Saturday with his party and is still going.  He got a check in the mail today from his other grandmother. 

So….wish me traveling mercies tomorrow. 
IN HIM,
Julie