Eating Mexican at the foot of the Cross

Remember how I said the Lord has had us do really (sometimes REALLY) odd things during this adventure? This past weekend was another one of them.

The Kingdom of God

Last week in a phone conversation with two of our mentors, they posed the question “What does the Kingdom of God have to do with your day today?”

I don’t know about you, but when people ask those kinds of questions at the end of a busy day, I always have a moment of wishing that they’d ask the color of my main floor bath room (yellow, blue and white) or what the thread count of my favorite sheets are. (Okay, so maybe not that, since I don’t know….but something EASY…nothing like what they asked!!)

Location, location, location

When Danica was a little girl, Jeff used to put her up on his shoulders when we would go for a walk. She loved it up there. She would clap her hands and sing. Despite the fact that she was scared to be up so high, it was her favorite place to ride, because from up on top of Daddy’s shoulders she could see EVERYTHING. He would pick her up HIGH into the air and she would giggle and laugh and say, “Drop me Daddy, drop me!” To which he’d reply, “If I drop you, you’ll go SPLAT!” “Splat me Daddy, splat me!” was always her response. She wasn’t afraid, she just wanted to be with her Daddy, enjoying him to the fullest.

I wish I could say I was able to respond the same way, but when it came to having my Daddy pick me high up into the air, I on the other hand, was stark raving terrified. You see, my Daddy is a lot bigger than hers and the places He lifts me up to are much scarier and the reality that I could go SPLAT seemed far too real at times.

Echoes

Okay, so I’ve got a rebellious daughter with purple streaks in her hair, I’ve gone wonky about time, money, stuff and God…and now THIS. The frosting on the cake, so to speak. Now, I’ve got a son who has been nailed by the police.

Yep, the whole story came out last night at dinner when Deniecia turned and said, “Mom, did Jeffrey tell you about the police that came after him…”

Perfectly Suited

When I got married and the Lord began to speak to me about being Jeff’s helpmeet, I had many sources trying to tell me what it meant. Some of them said that it meant that I could never be anything more than a tool in his toolbelt. Some said that it meant that I was to be silent and just serve him. Some told me that I was in sin to address his sin, some told me it was loving kindness to address his sin. Voices from all about me clamored for my attention and my obedience. They only served to give me a headache.

Disclosure

Just last week, I told a dear Sister that I feel deceptive continuing to blog here at Javadawn.  On the outside I look pretty much the same as I did when I started. (Although, thank you Lisa, I now have lighter hair)   

On the inside, I’m totally different…okay, maybe not TOTALLY different, but VERY different.  And without sharing with you who I have become, I feel like you’re reading someone you may no longer even like, let alone trust. 

I’m (finally) growing up!

Do you have a moment when you look back at your youth and know that you just experienced a huge step in your maturity? All of time suddenly stood still and you knew, in that flash of a second, that you had just done something that was significantly more mature than you expected of yourself…and you were surprised.

I remember that moment for me. I had been super busy at college, super busy in my new job, super busy taking care of my new efficiency (tiny apartment), and super busy with a new relationship with this handsome, fudge-brown eyed guy - too busy to maintain relationship with my Mom. She was feeling a bit left out of my new life, as well as a bit lonely for our usual gabbing sessions. I knew it, but had been too busy to do anything about it.

Speaking a foreign language

When I was a little girl, we lived in Naperville while my Dad worked in Chicago.  Every day, he took a train into town.  I remember running down the tunnel to meet him at the end of the day and trying to make my 7 yr old legs keep up with his long strides, as we headed back to the car together. Some nights, Dad worked late, and we didn’t go meet his train, but rather, my Mom would drive over and leave the car and take a taxi back home, so Dad could drive home whenever he got into town.

One bitter cold winter night is vividly clear in my memory.  Dad came to the door, just as I was heading to bed, with a large, lumbering BEAR!!! It was a reddish brown from head to toe!  I was terrified. 

Okay, Who Besides Me….

wore white go-go boots, like my little photo there on the side?!!  I wore mine with a white fringed vest and a hot pink mini skirt.  (I was also under 10 at the time!)  
(I have a friend who admitted to wearing lime green fishnet stockings with her white go-go boots, but I won’t point any fingers!!!)  

Look - Over There - it’s a Red Striped Elephant!

Not too long ago, Jeff and I were doing a review of some of the “remakes” of Shakespeare movies we had seen, to determine which of them (if any) our children could watch.  (Granted, of course that there are several “levels” of children in our household.)  We got “Ten Things I Hate About You” to see again.