just let it go

I have said it for six months that I can not make Kevin love me and I can not make him want to be with me. I received this last week when I was struggling on how to move forward in my situation, almost divine timing.

LETTING GO
By T.D. Jakes

There are people who can walk away from you & hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone. When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. The bible said that, “they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us.” [1 John 2:19]
People leave you because they are not joined to you and if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay. Let them go. It doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over and you have to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead...You have to know when it's dead. You have to know when it's over.
Let me tell you something, I have the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me and if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay. Let them go!!
If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to...LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to past hurts and pains...LET IT GO!!!
If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...LET IT GO!!!
If someone has angered you…LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge...LET IT GO!!!
If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction...LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents…LET IT GO!!!
If you have a bad attitude...LET IT GO!!!
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better...LET IT GO!!!
If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him...LET IT GO!!!
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship...LET IT GO!!!
If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves…LET IT GO!!!
If you're feeling depressed and stressed...LET IT GO!!!
If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying 'take your hands off of it,’ then you need to...LET IT GO!!! The Battle is the Lord's!

pass your basket

“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Galatians 5:22-23 (New Living Translation)
I love this translation of this passage! The Holy Spirit "produces this kind of fruit." Just picture it, The Holly Spirit out in his overalls, standing by your “fruit orchard” ready to cultivate the soil, plant the seeds, turning on the hose to water them, nurturing them until it is time to harvest each fruit in its own season.
It is no secret that this has been a very difficult year for me, to say the least. It all started in February when Tommy fell from the ladder. Then my birthday came and I hit 'that number.' In the month of June Kevin moved out. However, through all of this I have been able to see the fruit that has been produced in my life. In the last eight months I have not only been given one or two pieces of fruit, the Holy Spirit has blessed me with a complete basket of fruit!
Here’s some background information, I think there are two types of people in the world the “the rippers” and “the peelers.” A ripper is someone who rips the Band-Aid off, is sometimes brutally honest, and just says what is on their mind, not being rude, just a real person, a kind of "here I am attitude, like me or not." Rippers usually have high energy, can be closed minded, and seem to think that there is only one way to do things, their way.
A peeler is the exact opposite of a ripper they take their time going slowly and trying not to hurt your feelings, they want people to like them, and are careful about how they say what’s on their mind, if they say it all. They seem to move at slower pace and are more likely to see other opinions.
I classify myself as a ripper; sometimes it hinders me to see the good in people. Well I am pleased to report that through a horrible turn of events, I have changed a lifetime of thinking. Don’t get me wrong I’m still a ripper, but I think I am going through some sort of blending process…stay with me, I do have a point.
Even though my marriage is over with no hope of restoring it, I have allowed myself to slow down enough to experienced true love and kindness from people who otherwise I would have been to busy to notice that they care about me. Did you get that, “I would have been to busy to notice.” How sad is that? There were people in my life I was to busy to notice. Not anymore, I have slowed to notice who is around me and to thank them for all they have done for me and for Kyler.
I have permitted myself to feel the peace and gentleness that comes like manna from heaven. He is the only reason I can get out of bed and make it through the day. Even though this is the hardest road I have ever traveled I have a peace about the journey. I know that there is a gentle hand guiding my steps and calming the waves when I ask Him to help me.
I have witnessed the real goodness and faithfulness of people for the first time in my life. After Tommy’s accident people lined up to help, they did not care what was asked of them, they just wanted to help in someway not wanting anything in return. I have realized that people are not always looking out for themselves; they don’t all have hidden motives. After the accident a trust was set up to help relieve some of the financial burden of the cost of Tommy’s care. I have held in my hands checks ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. However, the one that means the most is the one that comes every month from a woman who is easily in her seventies and on a fixed income. Every month she is faithful to send a $25 check and a note, it is always the same, “Please put my small contribution with the others and God will be faithful to bless it just the same.” By seeing these acts I have been blessed beyond words. I have seen that under all the talk and garbage people can throw at you people really are kind and giving.
I have found that the last three fruits are bittersweet and the hardest for me to accept, self-control, patience’s, and joy. I never really had a large quantity of these gifts before this year. So it is very unusual to say that I seem to have an abundance of them now. I’m not sure if I have been given more of these gifts or that I have learned to implement them in my life now. I find myself thinking about what comes out of my mouth now. I want what I say to be an encouragement to someone not a discouragement. I am showing patience’s to others because patience’s was shown to me when I was on my "sabbatical". I find joy in the littlest of things. It is truly amazing what you can find to smile about when you look hard enough!
As promised here is my simple point, the Holy Spirit knows what fruit you need and when you need it. So don't be picky when He gives you a piece, "you get what you get and don't throw a fit" just pass your basket and say thank you.

follow-up to "Armor of God"

IT'S WORKING!
Last night when I was asking Kyler about his day, he started to share about an incident that happened on the bus. He said that another boy was trying to get him to throw paper balls. When Kyler told him he didn't think it was right and that it was distracting to the bus driver the boy started to tease and pressure him, just a little. Kyler said it was no big deal and he just blow it off. He said the boy was still trying to get him to throw some. Kyler kept telling him no and then the bus driver stopped the bus and made that boy come sit up front by him and was going to turn his name into the office in the morning. Kyler said that he kept hearing "take your stand against the devil's schemes."
I realize this is a small example, but at least it is sinking in!

"Armor of God"

As always on the first day of school, I took Kyler's picture, then it was off to the donut shop for our annul First Day of School Breakfast. As Kyler started middle school this morning, I prayed that God would keep a hedge of protection around him. Then God pressed it on my heart to start reciting the "Armor of God" passage everyday on our way to school. It is my hope by doing so Kyler will be reminded that God is with him all day, everyday, to continue to make good decisions, and be equipped to face the many challenges that he will be facing this year. I have provided the passage below if anyone wants to print it off and stick it your car and do the same!

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. ~~Ephesians 6:10-18

hate the sin, love the person

Do you still love Kevin? That seems to be the question of the day, everyday. The answer is yes. As a child of God I am commanded to love him, no matter what has happened. In Matthew 5:43-44 Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (I am not saying Kevin is my enemy or that he hates me or curses me, the truth is I'm not sure.) Even before this happened, I have struggled with loving those who hurt me, I tend to be one who tends to hold a grudge. However, over the last few months after I pray this verse keeps entering my mind. So I started thinking, how many times does God tell us to love one another? With a little help from WikiAnswers.com I found that the phrase 'love one another' is used twelve times in the King James Bible. I felt it necessary to share them below:

John 13:34 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 15:12 - This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:17 - These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Romans 13:8 - Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 - But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
1 Peter 1:22 - Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1 John 3:11 - For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1 John 3:23 - And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
1 John 4:7 -Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1 John 4:11 - Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1 John 4:12 -No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
2 John 1:5 - And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

Twelve times! Do you think He was trying to tell us something? When I ask Kyler to do something and on the rare occasion he doesn't acknowledge me I will ask him again and say, "I should only have to tell you once." How many times does He have to tell us before we acknowledge His request?
I struggle with my situation everyday. I won't sugar coat it, it stinks, it's horrible, I hate it, I don't recommend it, and I can't change it. For a short time I thought God was punishing me for something. Then I realized that God didn't do this to me. He gave us free will and the opportunity to decide right or wrong. Sometimes we make decisions that touch others and the "others" become collateral damage. I can't reverse the decisions that have been made, I can just move forward and not let my circumstances steal my joy. I am required as a Christian to 'love one another' and I am able to do this because of the love God has for me.

GRAPE STOMPIN IN TONTITOWN

What started out as a picnic over a hundred years ago is now a Northwest Arkansas tradition. The Tontitown Grape Festival has been going strong for 111 years. Somethings have changed, but the core of the event has remained the same and so has the famous homemade Italian Spaghetti Dinners! One of the annual attractions is the grape stomp. Last night I took Kyler and Aaron to do just that...stomp some grapes!

Soul Mates?

There is a billboard on I-540 that I pass almost every week. It is reads, "LOVEBIRDS MATE FOR LIFE. WILL YOU?" It is an advertisement for http://www.nwamarriages.com I haven't visited the site, maybe if I had I wouldn't be in this situation. Moving on...last night as I was driving home, Kyler asleep in the seat next to me, I starting thinking about "soul mates" and is it possible in today's world to mate for life?
I've read that some animals mate for life like Gibbon apes, wolves, termites, coyotes, barn owls, beavers, bald eagles, golden eagles, condors, swans, love birds, French angel fish, sand hill cranes, pigeons, red-tailed hawks, angler fish, prairie voles (a rodent), and black vultures are a few that mate for life. Of course, it depends on what you mean by "mate for life." These creatures do mate for life in the social sense of living together in pairs but they rarely stay strictly faithful. About 90 percent of the 9,700 bird species pair, mate, and raise chicks together some even return together to the same nest site year after year. Males, however, often raise other males’ offspring unknowingly. Black vultures, though, discourage infidelity. All nearby vultures attack any vulture caught philandering. Hmmm, now there's a thought.

Only about 3 percent of the 4,000 mammal species are monogamous, homosapians are not one of them. Beavers, otters, bats, wolves, some foxes, a few hoofed animals, and some primates live together in social pairs but dally sexually as much as birds do. Wolves, for example, are generally monogamous but also breed polygamously if the male is unrelated to the female and prey is plentiful. According to the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Restoration Program, they sometimes have more than one mate in a lifetime. This will happen "only if one mate dies, gets kicked out of the pack, or is physically unable to breed due to injury, illness, etc."
There is only on species that is absolutely monogamous. In the black darkness of the deep sea, the tiny male angler fish, one tenth the female’s size, detects and follows the scent trail of a female of his own species. Once found, he bites his chosen one and hangs on. His skin fuses to hers, their bodies grow together (he gets his food through a common blood supply and becomes essentially a sperm producing organ). They mate for life, a short life for the male, but it's still for life.

Why doesn't God make humans like the angler fish, without the biting and growing our bodies together of course and maybe not as ugly? I would settle for absolute monogamy and the for life part. I look at my parents, and both sets of grandparents as examples and wonder why they could do it and I could not. My parents have been married since 1965, my grandparents were married until "death do us part," 50 years after their wedding day. What has changed between then and now? Have our lives become too busy for love?
No one is too "busy" for love, however I think some of us have become too "distracted" for love. We have become an "instant society." We want what we want the minute we ask for it. You can't demand love and expect to receive real love. Nor can you put it on a shelf and take it down when it is convenient. You have to nurture love, handled it with care, cherish love, and show love back. I know I forgot how fragile love can be. I just thought that it would always be there and that's not true. I woke up one day and love was gone. Now I am trying to find a new love. A new love of myself. I guess for now I will have to be my own love bird.

DIY PROJECT

I am so guilty of watching those home improvement shows and saying, "I think I could fix that." Then, when they show you step by step how to do the project, I start saying, "I know I could fix that!" Well, I think that is what has happened to my friends. They have watched to many DIY shows and I have become the project! I have had more invitations to hang out, stay for dinner, meet for lunch, get a coffee in the last six weeks than I have had in the last six months! I love my friends and appreciate everything they are doing for me. I don't know how I will ever be able to repay them, but I have to say I snicker a little inside every time they call.
I think they are worried that I'm still in my pajama's sitting on my couch eating cake batter and watching old movies waiting for the phone to ring. Let me set the record straight, that only happened once and it took me about 10 minutes to put the spatula down and get dressed. I'm doing much better now, seriously, I am. Just this past week a guy in my office said, "Nikki, you're laughing and smiling, it's glad to have you back." I didn't realize how long it had been, apparently I was on sabbatical the entire month of June.
I know everyone is concerned and they are trying to keep my mind off the reality of my situation, but the truth is if I don't stop to look at it every once in a while I won't know how to live in it. My heart is touched every time someone calls, emails, or even texts me, I never knew I had so many people who loved me. I am truly blessed. I love that they are trying to "fix" me, but I don't think they have a big enough band aid this time. I think this one might take a few stitches and some very strong pain killers, now if you have some of those bring them over and lets have lunch.

4th of JULY in DALLAS

Kyler and I spent the Fourth of July in Dallas where it couldn't have been any hotter! We were there for a baseball tournament, however we tried to throw in a little local flavor, like a Rangers game, the Mesquite Rodeo and the Lone Star Horse Track!

It was a great trip, hot but great!

I DON'T KNOW...

I need to begin by apologizing for being MIA lately. As you can tell by the new blog title quite a few things have changed since my last post. In May Kevin and I decided to dissolve our marriage, after 12 years. He moved out on June 2nd. I won't go into any details other than we both made mistakes. Our main focus is to make sure Kyler is taken care of and has the best of both of us. I am trying not to become angry or bitter as this unfolds so I will ask that if you leave a comment please only leave words of love and encouragement and leave out any negativity.
After several sessions with my therapist he has convinced me to journal my thoughts as I travel down this new path. So, I have decided to do that here. I won't bore you will all the details and it won't be all about me whining, I promise. This will just be a place to record the next chapter in my life.
This is truly the most difficult situation I have faced. Accompanied by a look of pity, people ask me why, I find myself asking how. How did I let this happen? How did I let it get so bad? How did I not see it? How do I fix it? The answer to all those questions is simply "I don't know." I don't know. Three words I can't get out of my head. I am consumed with I don't know. It has become my answer to almost every question that is asked of me lately. I never thought I would be in this state of disarray.
I feel as if I run a daily race through an emotional wasteland. It starts by waking up numb. Then I move onto sadness and hurt. Then my favorite, worry and anxiety start to creep over me. Then the medicine kicks in and they subside. At night, when it is quiet I feel lonely, like a piece of me is gone and I will never be the same person. People still expect you to be productive, do your job, do all the things you did before, it is very hard to be a productive person when your emotions are in daily turmoil. This is the worst part of the entire situation the battle that goes on in my head and heart every day. It is uncontrollable and it paralyzes me. How do I make it stop?
So now what? I don't know. I don't know what is going to happen next. I don't know how I'm going to do this everyday. I do know that I don't have a choice. I have to get up everyday and I have to try. It will be a long difficult walk and one I never wanted to take, but now that I'm on this journey I have to remember to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Hopefully, I'll find some joy and happiness and maybe even my smile again along the way.

War Wounds

On Wednesday nights Kyler's baseball team plays in a competitive league. Well, this week as time was expiring Kyler was up to bat and fouled tipped a ball off the end of his bat right into his mouth. On Thursday I took him to work with me and we went to the orthodontist just to make sure there were no fractures, loose teeth, or broken brackets. After a panoramic x-ray, some examining, and little joking around the doctor confirmed that everything is fine. He just has a really fat lip, some bruising, and lace marks on his chin! I took the below pictures with my Blackberry so they are not the best, but I think you can get the idea!

CRACKERJACK QUEST FOR THE BEST

Author Robert S. Wieder said, "Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." I thought I would share a few quick stats for those of you keeping track. Rene', you might need Jason to help you through this one!


STAT LEADERS:
Hitting: Connor and Zach Cain smashed a .556 Batting Average. Devin had a .692 On-base percentage with no K's. Cain was on base .667. He also drove in 10 RBIs with Kyler behind him with 6 RBIs. 3 RUN KNOCK by Bryce Beckmann, which he called. Harrison's bat was hot all weekend, and Luke's bat heated up on Sunday play.
FIELDING LEADERS:
Ryan, Devin, Kyler, Zach Badger, and Zach Cain all fielded 1.000 (no errors).
PITCHING LEADERS:
Zach Badger struck out 8 in 3 innings of work. Cain, Gorman, Broyles all with 0.00 ERAs. Against the Dragons, Kyler threw a nice 4 1/3 innings with 5 K's and 0 Walks.
THIRD STRAIGHT TOURNEY THE BOMBERS LED THE FIELD IN SCORING AND IN RUN DIFFERENTIAL These stats are from this weekend's field of teams.
13.5 runs per game Allowed only 2.75 per game for a differential of 10.75 per game.
Best scoring: NW Arkansas Bombers (13.5) Best differential: NW Arkansas Bombers (10.75)
Bottom line, we scored 54 runs in 4 games and gave up only 11 runs, not bad for 10 year old boys!

One Day Extravaganza in Harrison!

Due to Mother Nature's wrath, our second tournament of the season turned out to be a one day festival of baseball at Wheeler Park. Four games in one day is a little much for anyone, including 10 year old boys. They hung in there and left with 2ND place trophies. Here are a few pictures from the day!

Let the Season Begin!

Take me out to the ballgame...

We played our first tournament this weekend in Bixby, Oklahoma. It was the first of thirteen plus the the week long World Series in July! We didn't do as good as we were hoping, 3rd place, but Kyler pitched great!

crises = changes?

It is no surprise to anyone who knows me that I don't t handle change well, I can deal within it, but I like things to be constant. February was a state of chaos. It was like a ferris wheel that I couldn't escape. I kept waiting for the ride to end, but it never did. I just kept going around and around. Some days were like being on the top when you can see everything clearly and other days were like being in the middle, in limbo, where on one side you can see but if you look the other way you can't because the bars of the machine keep getting in the way.
On the heels of finding out that Tommy will be leaving (see I'm Spinning post) for Denver on Thursday for rehab, I found a note on his desk that he had written on a post-it, "Takes Crisis for Change -- Worry or Trust Matthew 7:24-27." I read it and smiled. It was like this handwritten note was the pass I needed to make the ride stop. I am at the bottom and I am getting off and walking away. I still have some nausea from going around in circles so many times, but it has finally stopped.
Tommy has an uncanny way of making you love him at the same time you want to strangle him. Today when we saw him he looked amazing. His color was normal and his eyes were bright and alert. He was wanting us to tell him about work, if we were following up with his clients, which is totally Tommy. Then out of no where he mouths, "I miss you guys." Why did he have to go there? I smiled and lost it. I haven't really cried over this situation and didn't want to now, especially in front of him. I got so mad at him I wanted to tell him, "Look we have about 5 minutes with you and you say that. No. Tell me who I need to call, what to do, not 'i miss you.' How dare you get sappy on me now." This is one time the filter in my mouth worked. I said nothing. I just turned around and looked at the pictures of family and friends that drape his ICU room.
When I got back to my desk I looked at the handwritten note that is now taped to my monitor and thought to myself how this crisis will bring change. A change in our company, a change in our relationships, a change in what we now value as important in our lives, and a change in our personal relationship with God? How will we react to the changes? Will we worry or will we trust in HIM? It's still to early to know yet. The path ahead is long with many turns, but I hope that we learn to trust that God is in the details, all we have to do is let him guide us down the path, no matter how long or how difficult the journey.

THAT Number

So I have officially made it to that number. Girls, you know the one. The one that sticks in your head that you don't want to say out loud because you think it sounds awful and makes you sound so so old. "Hello, I'm Nikki Johnston and I'm thirty-_____." Oh, I almost told you!

I hate it. I hate that it really is THAT number. Mostly I hate it that it bothers me. However, I can't help but think about it. I even went as far as a couple of years ago changing my birthday, to "I LOVE NIKKI DAY!". Seriously, I did. It has caught on though. My parents will even say, "Happy I LOVE NIKKI DAY!" instead of the other. Presents are still welcomed, not required, but welcomed, they have to be because you love me, not because it's my birthday.

We have a small "grown-ups only" party, but instead of celebrating my birthday, we celebrate why we love me! During dinner we go around the table and everyone is required to say why they love me! No one is exempt. The reason you give has to be specific, for example, one of my favorites this year was "I love Nikki because she has no issue telling you the truth. Good or bad she tells you."

I know the whole idea sounds ridiculous, but some time ago I read an article titled How to Wear Many Different Hats and Still Have Great Hair. I think as women we sometimes get lost under our hats. We have a wife hat, a mom hat, a chauffeur's hat, a chef's hat, a maid hat, a fireman's hat, a teacher hat, and the list goes on. While we are trying to wear all these different hats, usually more than one hat at a time, our hair goes flat. So, my "I LOVE NIKKI DAY!" is the day that I get my roots boosted, so to speak. It may sound silly, but I personally think that every girl needs that one day a year where she is the center of attention and that is the day you get to wear your favorite hat...your crown.

I'm Spinning...

It's four in the morning and my head is spinning. So please forgive me if I don't make any sense. Over the weekend someone I work closely with everyday fell from a ladder while trimming trees in his backyard. He sustained considerable damage to his neck and spinal cord. He never lost consciousness and his breathing has been stable which is a great blessing. An MRI confirmed severe bruising to the spinal cord. The result of this damage at the current time is paralysis below the shoulders.

As the week has gone on I just keep feeling more helpless. I am trying to remain positive and hopeful, but as the week drags and there is no change and the surgery to stabilize his neck keeps getting delayed it is harder and harder to be positive. Tommy has great faith in God and has told me several times that every one's life is by HIS design and everything is in HIS time. Tommy continues to smile, even in his current condition. I know deep in my heart that he will make the best of this situation and use it to inspire others.

As I'm laying here awake I have started to think about something that my friend Rene wrote months ago regarding Matthew 8:23-27, the passage when Jesus calmed the storm. Forgive me Rene if I mess it up, no matter what storm is in our life we need to keep our faith in HIM and hold onto the boat, because HE will bring us to the other side. I just keep telling myself to hold onto the boat.

Please keep Tommy, his family, and those of us that work with him in your prayers. The family has started a blog, which is being updated daily, so others can stay in touch with his recovery http://www.friendsoftommyv.blogspot.com/. He has two teenage sons and a wonderful wife who are starting to wobble and worry a bit. They need to be lifted up and surrounded by Gods comfort and peace. Tommy's favorite quote came from a fortune cookie a long time ago and it is taped to his computer at the office, "Don't worry about the stock market. Invest in family." Tommy is a true investor in family and we need to do whatever we can to keep them strong.

Last Week

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." Philippians 1:3 (KJV).
That verse has always been one of my favorites. It was read at our wedding, at Kyler's dedication, and when he was baptized. Now I will use it one more time for those who helped us last week.

On January 27th a massive ice storm hit Northwest Arkansas covering the area with approximately 2-3 inches of ice. We lost power on Tuesday around 11am. Which meant no heat. We kept checking the electric company's website on our phones to see when they expected to have it back up, Wednesday by midnight was the report. No problem, we can stick it out. We spent the day in darkness listening to the tree limbs snap. Monopoly by candlelight anyone? We slept cuddled together in our bed.
Wednesday morning we woke to a very cold house, we could see our breath, it was cold! We checked the website again, now it was "With an additional 1,150 tree and power crew personnel from Kansas City, Oklahoma, Missouri, and North Carolina we expect 95% restoration by midnight Saturday." What now? All the hotels in the area were either full or without power. Then my friend, Christy, called and told me that her mom had power and her family of seven were going over there and we were to bring our pillows and clothes and get our hineys over there! We could stay until they restore our power. Kevin was very hesitant, but swallowed his pride and did what was best for his family. So we loaded up and went to Nancy's. On Thursday Christy received a call from her neighbor and said that the power had been restored in their neighborhood. We loaded up again and headed to Christy's. I have never felt more like a refugee in my life! Still no power at my own house!

Friday after work we loaded up again and headed to OKLAHOMA. Still checking the website still the same, midnight Saturday. We stayed at my parents all weekend and woke up early on Monday morning and drove the hour and half to Fayetteville to work. Still no power at our house.
Early Monday afternoon about 1:00 Kevin called and said that he went by our house and there were electric trucks on our street! FINALLY! At about 3:00 our electricity was back on! I joked, it took someone from North Carolina to restore our power!

How do you thank someone for giving your family a warm place to sleep, a hot shower, and giving you electricity again? On Sunday we went to church with Kevin's parents and their pastor said this, "A burden shared, is a blessing shared." My family was blessed by other people last week by sharing in our burden. I only hope that someday I get a chance to share someones blessing.

Ice Storm 2009

looking north down our street

the pine tree in our backyard

the tree in our neighbors backyard