to my parents...45 years and counting

You know you have great parents when your adult friends ask you, "Do you think your parents will adopt me, because they are way better than mine?" (I have always said that I have the best parents in the world.) Last night we celebrated my parents 45th wedding anniversary. By the request of one, I have posted the words that I shared with those at dinner last night.

"It's easy for me to understand love at first a sight, but how do you explain love after two people have been looking at each other for years? My parents have spent the last forty-five years looking at one another. Everyone here has been a witness to their union. I have had a VIP Pass for most of it. Trust me the view wasn't always pretty, but it was always entertaining. Together they have survived a draft notice, a tour of duty, pregnancy, child birth, trips to the ER, surgeries, go cart wrecks, slumber parties, girl scout meetings, two teenagers, traffic tickets, broken hearts, school board meetings, job changes, death, menopause, home re-models and shop buildings, the birth of a grandson, and countless cars, dogs, cats, birthdays, Christmas's, and other holidays. During it all they have stayed in love.

From my front row seat I have noticed a few things:

Daddy will eat anything cooked in an Easy Bake Oven, if his daughter bakes it for him.
Mom will let you sit on the counter and listen to you talk about nothing for a very long time.
Mom knows exactly how long to wait after dad sneezes before she says "bless you.”
When dad goes to his shop to "tinker" she gets the first aid kit ready. Trust me there have been a lot of band-aids over the years and one skin graph.
I’ve never seen dad do a load of laundry or the dishes, but I’ve also never seen mom change the oil in a car.
Daddy knows exactly how to push Mom's buttons, just to see the twinkle in her eye.
He knows that she will interrupt him at least once while he's telling a story, usually twice and yet he keeps on talking.
After living in the same house for 33 years Daddy still has to ask where the bowls are. I’m pretty sure the only thing he knows how to use in the kitchen is the coffee pot and the microwave. He says he can turn on the stove to pre-heat it for breakfast, but I’ve never seen him do it. Don’t even ask him about the dishwasher, washing machine, or the dryer.
She knows she will have to wake him up in his recliner to tell him to go to bed.
They have learned to deal not only with their compatibility, but also with their incompatibility.
They laugh together, they’ve cried together, and more importantly they know when to leave each other alone.
They know that the better sometimes comes after the worse.
They both know how and when to say "I'm sorry."

The sentence "I love you," isn't just something they mumble at bedtime. It is what they do every day; with an act of service, in a look, in a kind or annoying word, or sometimes in a gift. Tonight we are here to celebrate their love, the trust they have in each other, the partnership they have formed, the tolerance they have for one another, and the tenacity it takes to stay to together for 45 years.

There is a line in the movie The Princess Bride that says, “This is true love… you think this happens every day?” Well, I know first hand that it doesn't. Let me close by saying thank you for teaching all us here the true meanings of devotion, love, and commitment. I love you."

can't keep a good women down

Sitting in ICU Room #4 I watch a son caress the leg of his mother while she feeds herself banana pudding. They sit and discuss the doctors prognosis and his suggestions for her treatment. With wires and tubes attached to her and machines beeping, I watched the two of them speak with such love and kindness. In one small blink of an eye the son became the parent and the mother became the one in need of her child's advice. He assured his mother that he would take care of everything and not to worry. As he spoke her eye's began to tear up, I realized that the tears weren't really tears, just pride spilling out. She was trying to hide her nervousness with certainty. However, the tone in her voice would crack, she would try to laugh, smile, and hope her son didn't hear the small whimper in her light, sweet Texas draw. I've heard that the women from Texas are made up of grit, stubbornness, determination, vinegar, and sugar. Even in her current fragile condition those traits are easy to see in this Texas lady.
As she lay in the hospital bed recovering from a light stroke, a staph infection, triple bypass surgery, and a mechanical valve replacement she asks me, "Do you like to dance." I answered her with, "I try." The twinkle in her eye quickly returned along with her smile and said, "We'll all go as soon as I get out of this place." I took that as a sign that her strength and spunk never left.
She was moved to the rehab center this week, where her toughness will be put to the test. She has a long road ahead of her, but I have no doubt that it won't be long before this five foot two, go-gettin, gun packin, cross wearin, truth tellin, car burnin, lead-foot drivin, grandma will be back to her old tricks.

you can tell a lot about a girl by her shoes...

I get teased quite a bit about how much I love shoes. Honestly, I rarely leave a store without visiting the shoe section. When a pair catches my eye, it’s the only time I believe in love at first sight. When I slip them on for the first time and take those first few steps in them, I realize that it could be love. The price tag reveals that they are on sale, and then I know its destiny. I love my shoes so much that my daddy built me a six foot tall shoe cabinet to house them in. I currently have 53 pairs of shoes in it. That’s not all of them, but those are the ones that made the cut into the trophy case. There are very few things that make me feel as good as wearing a new pair of shoes.
Marilyn Monroe said, “Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” I can so relate to this statement. I feel extraordinarily confident, sexy, brazen, and sometimes even smarter in new shoes. I know it must sound silly to boys, but it’s true. Personally, I think all girls feel better in new shoes. If they say different I choose to believe they are liars. Recently, someone told me that I had too many pairs of shoes. He even suggested that I should throw some of them out. After I caught my breath, I started to think that he might be right. Then I quickly regained my right mind, proceeded to tell him, in a very polite way, that he was wrong and it really wasn’t any of his business anyway. That pretty much ended the conversation.
Not that I need to, but I was wondering if there was a way to justify having so many pairs of shoes, other than Miss Monroe’s statement. Then I came across Song of Solomon 7:1, “How beautiful are thy feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter!” Could this be it? Before some of you start judging me for trying to manipulate God’s word, for my own opinion, I know this verse is not God telling me to buy a thousand pairs of shoes. However, He did inspire every word written, I'm just saying. Obviously even God has an appreciation for footwear and thinks a woman’s foot looks good in a nice strappy number. Yes, I’m aware that it may be a stretch, but I’m claiming it. According to biblegateway.com the word sandal(s) is used in 28 different verses (NIV). In Isaiah 52:7 and again in Romans 10:15 it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Why shouldn’t those feet be adorned with a great pair of shoes?It comes down to this, most boys don't understand why girls have to have so many pairs of shoes. I have listed a few reasons boys might understand: We are trying to conquer the world and need the perfect red peep toes heels to do it in. We are tired of being kissed on the forehead, we need the high heels so we don’t have to stand on our tippy toes. The shoes went with the new dress that took your breath away. Buying the shoes was cheaper than buying the gun to shoot you with and not as permanent. Honestly, boys, the truth is that sometimes a pair of shoes really can change your life, just ask Prince Charming and Cinderella.

waiting, serving, and praying

I originally posted this in October of 2008, but recently this verse keeps coming back to me. So, I thought I would re-post it for what ever reason.

"They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

The above verse is attached to the bottom of every email that my friend, Jenn sends out, replies to, or forwards on. I know other people who do the same thing, one attaches Jeremiah 29:11, another uses Colossians 3:23. A few days ago I received an email from her explaining that her grandmother had passed away and what a strong Christian woman she had been and now she was "reaping her rewards for her faithful service to the Lord," those where Jenn's words regarding her grandmother.
As I read the bottom of her email and came to the verse I started to think about the words "wait upon" and their meaning. It was like someone hit me over the head, that verse doesn't mean we are to sit around watching the clock go tick-tock and wait on the the Lord to renew our strength. No, the author didn't use the word "WAIT" alone, he used the words "WAIT UPON." I might be a little slower than others but, when the two words are used together they take on a verb meaning, "to perform the duties of an attendant or servant." Do you know how many times I have read that verse and never put it together? More than I would like to admit.
It is only then, when we "SERVE OR ATTEND TO THE LORD" that he will "RENEW OUR STRENGTH." For those of you who have ever worked as a Server or hosted an event, you try to do everything that your guest ask of you, without asking any questions in return,in exchange for a tip or reward for a job well done. What if we took on that same attitude when we serve the Lord? Can you imagine if we did everything He asked of us and never asked any questions in return? How would He reward us then? He tells us, "they shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." There is no big surprise here. If we serve him he rewards us, this is not a hard concept to grasp folks.
Recently our pastor spoke about how when you are praying and serving God be prepared for an answer. He used the following example: If you are praying for a job, be ready to receive two offers, because God rewards and gives favor to the people who serve Him. Kevin and I looked at each other knowing that word was for us. You see, Kevin has been looking and praying for a different job for about a year, something with better benefits, more responsibility, more flexibility, and more money. Two weeks later Kevin received two different job offers. Both offers had more responsibility, more flexibility, better benefits, and more money; everything we had prayed for, however, one would disrupt our current lifestyle and be a huge adjustment, the other would not disrupt our life at all. So, this week he started his new job with very little disruption. Usually I would be freaking out a little bit, but not this time. This time, there is complete peace in our house. He is excited about the new position and we know that this was designed by God's hand. It is amazing to me to think that He made it that simple. God and His Word are not difficult to understand, we are the ones who muck it up.

storer or sharer?

We have all heard the saying, "don't sweat the small stuff." I use to worry and fret (Oklahoma word) over the small stuff. Daddy would tell me, "to stop worrying, whatever is going to be will be and worrying about it won't change the outcome." Well, lately I have started to take a closer look at the "small stuff" in my life. What I've realize is what we call "small stuff" is the stuff that really matters and it's not so small after all.
Look around your world. Look at what you have close to you. Right now, I have a blanket, a bible, a phone, and a bottle of water. Those are all small items, but provide warmth, direction, a way to communicate, and nourishment, all which are very big things. What about the even smaller things? I'm talking about when Kyler hugs me and says, "I'm glad that God made you my mom." That statement always causes a tear in my eye. The way I can actually feel my heart skip a beat when Jack touches my hand. The way my mom can smile with her eyes, it is amazing. I promise I've seen how much she loves me and her family through the smile in her eyes. The way Daddy can reassure me just by looking at me and saying my name in his sweet soft tone. I don't know how he does it, but I hope I never out grow that feeling.
How can some thing be so small and simple, but yet have such an impact in our life? It reminds me of the rain drops that are hitting my window. A single rain drop is a very little insignificant thing, but when it combines with other small rain drops that single small rain drop has the capability to cause a great flood. Like the single small meaningless rain drop, the small things in our life, when combined all together, can cause a flood of meaningful emotions.
I could name a thousand wonderful little things that I remember about my grand parents. The one that stands out the most, I didn't spend enough time with them. I'm not sure if I really understood the importance of spending time with family until I moved away from home. Our time has become such a precious commodity we have grown accustomed to budgeting it, sometimes better than our checkbook. With everything we have pulling us in all different directions; careers, kids, housework, homework, grocery shopping, extra-curricular activities, church, family time, honey-do lists, and all the other million things we have on our minds, it is so easy to look up and realize it's bedtime and we haven't said, "I love you, today" to anyone. A small simple four word sentence that can make a huge difference.
I've realized lately that the "small stuff" isn't so small after all. I still worry about the little things, I guess some things don't change, however, now I worry that I may not be giving out as much as I'm taking in. The smallest acts of kindness and sweet words we say to others are sometimes the biggest things that happen to them in a day. I'm trying to do my part and remember to pay it forward. I'm working on becoming more of a sharer and than a saver. When you share a kind word or just a smile, you are planting seeds of yourself in their lives and you never know how the rain will make them grow, but you might be surprised to see how fast a smile will appear. That's when it really is better to give than to receive.