What Do I Crave?

Today marks the last full day that I have to spend with my grandbaby, Eden, for awhile.  I've been blessed for the last 2 1/2 weeks to visit in her home in California as Keith has been preaching for three different churches in the area.   During this time I've played many games of peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake, sung lots of songs, read many books, changed countless diapers, and rocked Eden to sleep for many naps.  I've watched her grow from a helpless infant to a rolling, active baby who now sits alone and entertains herself with toys...even sitting in a highchair enjoying rice, bananas and sweet potatoes (good "Southern" girl).  I've also accomplished many projects, marking each one off Ashley's list she's made for me right down to the one we finish up today:  Babyproofing the house by installing outlet covers and cabinet locks. Working side-by-side with Ashley has made each project fun but also challenging as she's witnessed how incompetent her mother really is.  You see, I seem to make things harder for myself by always doing it the wrong way before figuring out the best way to do it.  Like last night when I was reconstructing a couple of wooden chairs they had picked up at a yard sale.  I was using Gorilla Glue to reset the wicker backing into the frame and if you've used that product you know what a remarkable product it is.  Gorilla Glue works great to give a permanent bond of almost anything to almost anything....including fingers.  In an effort to spread the sticky stuff where it needed to be I managed to get it all over my hands and soon my ten digits were threatening to become two big blobs!  In a panic I ran to the bathroom sink and began washing with soap and water which made my hands gooier and stiffer than ever.  I'd forgotten that the directions said to use WATER to make the bond stronger!  By this time I'm really in a panic and yelling for Ashley to read the bottle to tell me what to do in case of skin contact and she reads: ALWAYS wear gloves while using this product.  (Now you tell me).  So I have her call my brother-in-law, Jim, who uses Gorilla Glue for his woodworking projects to get advice.  I know Jim will laugh at me and never let me live it down but I'm desperate!  So the phone is held up to my ear as my hands are now being molded together and I hear Jim (trying not to laugh) tell me to try mineral spirits.  But alas there's no mineral spirits in the house and I've got to DO SOMETHING NOW!!!  So a very patient and exasperated Andy enters the scene and after reviewing the situation calmly Googles "What to do when your crazy Mother-in-law glues her hands together with Gorilla Glue" and  instantly comes up with a solution of baby oil mixed with an abrasive cleaner, which thankfully works beautifully.  What did we ever do without Google?  But the adventure isn't over.  Because in the car on the way to a restaurant I realize I still have Gorilla Glue under my fingernails and I begin to gnaw it out with my teeth and to my horror I realize a piece of it has gotten stuck in my throat and is beginning to make my throat  burn and swell.  Now worrying that I might asphyxiate and die of anaphylactic shock I admit my stupidity to Ashley and Andy.  Andy's sigh tells me that this must be reason #121 why he's ready for his Mother-in-law to go home as Ashley begin's Googling " What to do when your Mother is stupid enough to actually ingest a particle of Gorilla Glue".  In the meantime I'm imagining the moisture in my throat beginning to swell the tiny particle to the size of a bowling ball till my airway is completely shut off.  I try to stay calm and think pleasant thoughts but the burning in my throat is making me desperate for a drink of water to wash it away and I'm thinking will We EVER get there, will we EVER be seated, will we EVER get served till I can FINALLY get a glass of water and wash the offending piece away. 
Later that night, after my throat had stopped burning and my hands were only mildly stiff, I was once again finding comfort in holding little Eden and rocking her to sleep.  She was fighting it, squirming in my arms, kicking her feet, trying desparately to keep those big beautiful blue eyes open when Ashley walked through the door.  At the sight of her Mommy she practically leapt out of my arms lunging toward her comforter.  At that moment no amount of rocking, singing and cuddling would suffice.  What Eden craved was her Mommy and the milk she could provide.  That night she craved to be sweetly nursed to sleep.  Nothing else would do. I know how it feels to crave, to desperately need something and need it NOW.  How often do I try to feed that craving with the wrong things...another piece of chocolate cake, a day of shopping for more stuff I don't need...another night of flipping through the tv channels finding nothing worth watching...when the only thing that truly satisfies is a stronger spiritual relationship with my Lord.  What do I crave?
" Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."  1 Peter 2:2, 3.

Committed or Crazy?

Last week Keith and I  laced up our walking shoes, put on our heavy coats and headed for the door of my in-laws house.  When we told my father-in-law we'd be back in 32 minutes after we completed our walk he said "You're going for a walk at 9:00 at night in a cold rain?  You're either committed or CRAZY, I'm not sure which!"  Actually, I'm not sure either.  About a month ago when Keith was dealing with some high blood pressure issues he suggested that rather than relying on medication he should make some lifestyle changes including cutting back on salt, switching to only decaf coffee, taking garlic tablets (seems garlic is for more than just warding off vampires) and walking three times a week.  I eagerly jumped at the last suggestion (and now ask myself WHY?).  You see, Keith is a VERY committed person.  He is very stubborn and hard to talk into things, but once he makes it HIS decision and he commits to it, he sticks to it...NO MATTER WHAT. For the 34+ years that we've been married Keith has been committed to running 3 times per week...well at least he used to run, now it's more of a jog and he would say it's more of a wobble.  For years I've tried to tell him that he needs to give his old joints a break and start walking instead of running.  My ulterior motive was that I knew I really needed to walk (no way could I start running!) but didn't have enough motivation to do it on my own so I needed him to be my walking partner.  But he'd always say that he wanted to keep up his running and that was enough for him.  So when he said a month ago that he was ready to start walking the 3 days a week that he didn't run (taking Sundays off) I was thrilled.  He made me agree that we were committing to a minimum of 32 minutes for 3 days a week no matter what the weather, no matter what the day or time of day, NO MATTER WHAT.  The only problem with that is our crazy travelling schedule has caused us to walk at the most inconvenient times in the craziest weather and in the wierdest places.  We have walked as late as midnight at the end of a ten-hour drive.  We've walked in cold wind, blowing rain and total darkness.  We've walked in several well-lit parking lots (when the streets seemed a little scary), on golf courses, in fields, and inside three different Wal-Marts in Alabama, Arkansas and Missouri.  The Wal-Marts proved to be most challenging... though we stayed warm and dry we had to power walk quickly while avoiding shoppers, stockboys, the urge to stop and shop, and the wary store managers as they began to trail us!  But we've done it!  For four weeks we've stuck to our committment and walked at least 32 minutes for 3 times each week. That's over 384 minutes of time that we've spent walking and talking together.  And even though it's always been a challenge to carve out the time I find myself throwing those walking shoes into the suitcase each week and eagerly anticipating the next time we can walk together again.  It feels good to know we can make a committment and stick to it NO MATTER WHAT.  So you tell me...is that COMMITTED or CRAZY?

Jonquils in January

Up on the hill behind my house is a row of the most beautiful bright yellow jonquils in full bloom...AMAZING! What's so unusual about that?  Well these flowers that I planted about 19 years ago used to greet me right around Easter.  When I saw that first bright bloom beckoning me to the window I knew that a long dreary winter was ending and Spring was just around the corner.  But every year they seem to bloom earlier and earlier.  First it was March, then February, and now when it's still January in Tennessee, they are in full bloom against the otherwise dreary horizon of dead grass, bare branches and grey skies.  What an unexpected surprise!  Call it "global warming" if you want but I think it's God's way of delighting us in the unexpected blessing just when we need it the most.  It's like a long-lost friend popping up on Facebook and reconnecting that neglected friendship.  Just last week during our stay in Arkansas we were able to reconnect with two different couples who had been our "besties" when we left school for our first work in Missouri.  Being young and so far away from home these couples became like family.  But after several moves, many years and a few more kids we had grown distant.  When we reconnected last week it was such an unexpected pleasure and with our friendships rekindled we've promised to stay in touch forever!  Last November our family was facing one of our darkest days when my sweet father-in-law nearly left this life and the doctor came into his room in CCU to tell us that his chances of recovery were slim.  Less than 24 hours later to our surprise Ashley had flown across country with our 2-month-old baby granddaughter to be with their Papa.  Having that unexpected week-long visit with Ashley and Eden was the one bright spot that got us through the dark days.  As Ben got stonger and was able to hold his great-granddaughter for the first time I thought about the scripture in Ecclesiastes that says "To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven." Sometimes God gives us unexpected blessings out of season, like jonquils in January!