Five Minute Friday: Friend

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Elizabeth

Joining in with my Five Minute Friday post at Lisa-Jo’s.

Start.

I had a discussion with a friend at church on Sunday about friends. First, our children’s, then ours. She and I both felt that we had lots of really nice acquaintances, but not a best friend. She said she had always wanted one, but The Lord had not provided one. I agreed. Our conversation was not filled with bitterness, just twinges of sadness mixed with regret. People have moved in and out of our lives through different churches and experiences and while the friendships were nice at the time, none have stuck for a lifetime.
I said that I didn’t feel particularly tied to our city for that reason. I have lived with some minor fear of moving. I really never have, except for the two hours from my home town to this city for college. Kyle moved here from the east coast after he graduated and we’ve been here for 21 plus years. What does God have planned for us?
I feel that the lack of women friends has certainly made me lean on my husband more and he on me. Trying not to do the co-dependent thing, just enjoying life together.
Stop.

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Me and my BFF.

Proverbs 17:17 (KJV)
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

After Attending My First Writing Workshop

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Elizabeth

So, today was the day. The learn day. The day I took the plunge and called myself a writer. I attended a “Writing To Publish” workshop that was held for the first time at our local homeschool convention, which begins tomorrow.

The workshop, (which I repeatedly referred to as a conference yesterday)–newbie oops 😉 was presented by Carol Barnier.

She has written several books and scores of magazine articles over the past decade plus. I have been reading her submissions to The Heart of the Matter homeschool blog for several years.

I was not planning to attend, because:
* I didn’t feel that I was on a track to publish anything.
*I couldn’t really justify the expense of a workshop when this writing thing is just a hobby.
*The workshop wasn’t covering “exactly what I thought I needed, which is creativity and writing encouragement.

I learned:
* Magazine article writing would be a great way to be published. (With lots of brushing up and practice.)
* My husband felt the expense was justified.
* Had the workshop covered what I really wanted, I would have been totally overwhelmed.

The conference was a great overview of the writing-to-publish process (just as the brochure promised). I had heard of queries, agents, book proposals, but didn’t know what they were and when they were required. Now I do. And I’m tired.

My three biggest take-aways:
* Don’t wait to feel inspired before I write. Just write. Regularly. It will help develop my “voice.”
* The thought-mapping exercise was so helpful. It made me think about myself, my experience, who I am, what I am living and how that can translate into potential writing assignments. (If I am led to go that route, still not sure about that.) Kyle?
* Everyone gets rejection.

Now, on to some organizing, scheduling of all things Heironimus, more writing and lots of prayer.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Before Attending My First Writing Workshop

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Elizabeth

Tomorrow, I will be attending my first writing workshop at the insistence of the Blog Engineer, aka husband Kyle. I’m feeling a bit anxious, as this will be my first conference since my working days way-back-when and I have not written anything for publication since before then. That’s a long time.

The workshop is really a mini-workshop, so that makes me feel better. Only three hours. Surely I can do that?
It will be led by a homeschooling mom who has authored several books and writes for Christian publications as well as a group blog that I have read for several years.

The main reason I hesitated to register (actually I will be doing that in the morning), are that it is geared for writing for publication and that isn’t my goal. Yet. Ever?
I have only written for a local magazine that was retired when the owners retired a few years ago.

Kyle is now making business cards for me to hand out. 🙂 He is sweet and so very encouraging.

This would qualify for the “learn” part of my blog title. Not homeschool learn, but ME learn. Yikes! Going out of my little comfort zone bubble.

More details tomorrow…

Joshua 1:9 (NIV 1984)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Saturday Snapshots

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Elizabeth

Big brother boosting little brother up the bouncy thing at the free credit union party.

The three youngest on the bouncy thingy.

A non-posed picture at The Grotto.

The parents sitting across the table at lunch.

When you give a boy a bunch of boxes from Medtronic, Sam’s and the health food store AND paint…

No wind + lots of scrap wood and branches=bonfire!

The new and improved box fort.

Finally cutting (buzzing) the shag.

The only child in the history of our family to ask for a haircut.

Seriously, he asked.

All done and talking.

Halfway done!

The parents after dinner.

Almost there!

Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)
This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Five Minute Friday: Jump

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Elizabeth

Writing again for the Five Minute Friday community.

Jump

What did I jump into in this life?
Lover of Jesus. Check.
Marriage. Check.
Motherhood. Check.
Homeschooler. Check.
Official carb-counter and insulin giver. Check.
Gourmet gluten-free chef. Check.

Many titles. Some for real, some in jest. All part of this life I made a jump for. Time to pray, asking The Lord for help with these titles, this life I am living. Loving, caring, being with my family. Learning to serve others better.

So glad I made the jump.

Stop

Kyle took this “jump” photo of Mommy and Paul being photographed by Adam.

Psalm 106:1 (NKJV)
“Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.”

Diabetes on the Brain

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Elizabeth

For some reason, I have been thinking about diabetes more so far this year than in past years. Not in the day-to-day sense of thinking. Diabetes is lurking around every corner, nook, cranny, part my brain. Always.
I mean as in feeling the need to write about it sense. The blogging bug has hit and over the last couple of months I have been thinking of several people that have been put in my path.
It all collided in one jumbled mess of thoughts tonight in church.
First, on the incourage blog, a young lady posted about diabetes back in February. I commented and she replied to my comment. I copied and pasted it into a blog draft called “John’s Story” and have let it sit.
Last week, I received a call from another mom whose son has type-1 diabetes.
I’m not up on the proper lingo that all the cool people use, but I think in the “DOC”–diabetes online community, we would be called “D-Moms.” I think. I could be wrong. I am occasionally.
Anyway, she is a friend of a friend’s friend, if that makes sense. We were introduced via phone/e-mail a few years ago and have e-mailed, phoned and talked in person a few times. I hadn’t heard from her for over a year.
Her son is 17. John is 9. Both were diagnosed very young. We have done nutrition and diet much differently and John has been on a pump since age 4 and her son is not. I started to say he still is not but that seems arrogant or condescending.
The pump isn’t the be-all-end-all of diabetes care. It has worked for us, but I assume it isn’t for everyone. I’m not sure that I would want one for myself. It is awfully convenient, but can be awfully reminding too. Always there. It never goes away. Well, like diabetes.
Wowza, I’m going off on tangents! Back to the call:
She sounded somewhat discouraged. (Diabetes can do that to you.) She said she wanted to encourage me to make sure that John “owns” his diabetes starting at his young age, as her son isn’t interested in the responsibility of taking over his care.
When we met, I gave her a book. (Amazon just helpfully gave me an instant order update and told me that I had ordered it on December 6, 2010.) That was my second copy, after I let her keep my copy.
She mentioned the book last week and I am thinking, if I work of the courage, of contacting the author to ask if she would Skype with us.
Tonight in church, several verses from the lesson struck me as appropriate for John’s story and I started thinking more.
And finally, tonight this post finished me off. Did me in. Almost pushed me over the edge. I can’t believe it didn’t make me cry. I guess I’m too tired. It is almost midnight. I’m sure it will tomorrow when I read it again.
I have been reading Meri’s blog for a little over a year and it encourages and saddens me, depending on the day.
Well, that was a mess. A big messy diabetes mess. Like my brain.
Tomorrow I’ll clean it up. Maybe. But I’m posting tonight. Just because my brain needed a good dump.

I’ll end, as always, with scripture. This is one of the passages from church:

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Five Minute Friday: Here

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Elizabeth

Here

We are here. Grandpa and Grandma’s. My mom and dad’s. What was planned to be a day trip for tomorrow to do yard work for Grandpa after his carpal tunnel surgery, became an overnight trip when the pressure valve thingys on our well pump gave up and quiet cooperating.
We are always welcome. My daughter teased that we should just show up on their doorstep in case Grandpa said no. He got a laugh out of that. When does Grandpa ever say no? Well, unless it is critical 🙂
Here. Where we are always welcome, where it feels like home even though this was never my home. They left my childhood home after 27 years, when I was 30, with two little boys. Those little boys don’t remember my home and yet this is home.
My parents are aging, aren’t we all? Sometimes that is hard, but I am so, so grateful for home.

End

My dad reading to my youngest boys at Christmastime.

Philippians 4:4 (KJV)
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Sunday Smiles and Scripture

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Elizabeth

Three little boys walking down a hill.

Three little boys getting closer.

My three not-all-so-little boys almost to the van.

Psalm 127:3-5 (NIV 1984)

“Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their
enemies in the gate.”

Shared at The Sunday Community.

Five Minute Friday:After

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Elizabeth

After:
What will the after look like? I need to not spend too much time pondering that, as I can waste countless minutes, hours thinking “I will do this, when that happens,” as if the after of getting my act together, being more patient, more loving has anything to do with my circumstances or what I may receive.
The current, the present is what I need to concentrate on. How may I best serve God, my family, my neighbors?
The after will come soon enough. It will be what it will be. Dwelling on it will not get me from here to “Happily ever after.”
These people that I have been entrusted with, they are my after. When I’m in the after, I want to be able to look back and enjoy the memories of the past.
As I told my husband this evening, after the bedtime tussles with our youngest, I seem to always end the day with a laundry list of regrets.
Looking forward to the after gives me the courage to do what I need to do to get rid of that list.

Stop

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Currently Studying

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Elizabeth

The latest Good Morning Girls Bible study began last Monday. I am in a group with three other homeschooling moms, spread from the midwest to the east coast: me in Missouri, down to Texas, and over to Virginia and Florida.

These were the thoughts I shared with the group onThursday. Nothing profound, but thought-provoking for me.

Luke 9:47-48
“Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child, and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all–he is the greatest.”

I am praying that we will all be welcoming to our children, just as Jesus taught. I often get irritated with their childishness, yet my behavior is often lacking. Oh, the hypocrisy! Argh!

I prayed with my boys tonight as they were being goofy and un-unified after lights out, basically that they would have good memories to share 10, 20, etc years down the road and enjoy each other’s families as they get older.

These years are flying by and I so want my children to remember me as a mother that was “living and leading like Jesus,” as our study title teaches. Starting at about square one here, at least it feels like it!

Pray, Love, Learn

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Monthly Archives: April 2013