Gift #229- Superbowl Commercials and Subtle Reminders

It was strange watching the Superbowl at 6am on Monday morning in Japan.  I had cinnamon toast during the game rather than nachos and wings.  But it was fun nevertheless.  The one thing that we did miss was the commercials.  Our television station can not air them.  But I saw some of them on youtube minutes after they were aired in the US.  Like so many other people, I loved the "So God Made a Farmer" commercial.  After living in Fallon, Hank and I said that we would love to own a little farm someday.  And with the state of the world, we look at each other often and just say "Farm".  :0)

A few days after the super bowl, inspired by the farmer commercial, one of my favorite authors wrote a blog post titled "So God Made a Mother".  It really spoke to me.  I often feel as though I need to do something BIG with this one life that I have.  Sadly, I fail to see the "big" in the tucking-ins and the elbow bandaging and the shoe tying lessons.  This post was a reminder that these small things are the biggest things that I can be doing for the Lord during this season of my life.  Today I am thankful for Super Bowl commercials and for subtle reminders that "raising generations matter and weaving families matters and tying heart strings matters and these people here matter."  And this is BIG!


Blog Excerpt from A Holy Experience with God Feb. 4 2013:

I need someone to get up at midnight and scoop the most fragile of humanity close to her warmth and rock though she can hardly stand and nourish though she’s mostly sleep-starved and change the diaper and the sheets and the leaked on, leaked through, and leaked down clothes though she’ll have to change them in the morning and next week and that won’t change for years.

So God made a Mother. 

Then God had said I need somebody with a strong heart.  Strong enough for toddler tantrums and teenage testing, yet broken enough to fall on her knees and pray, pray, pray.  Someone who knows that in every hard place is exactly where you extend grace, who looks a hopeful child in the eye and says yes, even though she knows every yes means a mess but this is how you bless, who has the courage to keep letting go because she’s holding on to Me.

So God made a mother.

God said I need somebody who can shape a soul and find shoes on Sunday mornings and get grass stains out of Levis. And make dinner out of nothing and do it again 79,678 times, and keep kids off the road and out of the toilet and in clean underwear and mainly alive though she’s mainly losing her mind and will put in an 80 hour week by Wednesday night and just do one more load of laundry. And one more sink of crusted burnt pots.  And keep on going another eighty hours because raising generations matters and weaving families matters and tying heart strings matters and these people here matter.

So God made a mother…

It had to be somebody who could comb back pigtails and tie up skates just-right tight.  Who could pretend she remembered algebra and how to get home from here and that really, she was just fine, that it must just be the silly onions.  Somebody who would run for the catch, jump on a trampoline and play one fierce game of soccer and not give a thought to all those labors and her weak pelvic floor. Somebody who’d stay up late with a science project that never ends, who’d get up early for the game in the rain, somebody who’d wave at the door until the taillights were out of sight and still be smiling brave.

So God made a mother.

It had to be somebody willing to keep loving when it made no sense because that’s what love does.  Somebody who knew that patience is a willingness to suffer. That joy is always possible because there is always, always something to be thankful for.

And that life is not an emergency but a gift — so just. slow. down. There are children at play here and we don’t want anyone to get hurt and the hurry makes us hurt.  Somebody willing to feed and lead, lay down her life and pick up her cross, give of her time because they have her heart. Someone who knows that we all blow it — and what matters is what we then do after. Someone who could humble herself into the tender sorry that covers a multitude of sins.  And who’d bow her head at night over the girl asleep with the doll in the crook of her arm — and thank her Father for this hidden life that’s the turning gear for the a whole spinning world.

So God made a mother.

Gift #228- Josh Calling His Mom!

Josh doesn't get too excited about much of anything.  So when he called me today and asked me to come to the skate park right away to watch him do a new trick, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  I hope that he always remembers to call his mom!

Gift #227- Shrimp Gumbo

 I have my moms recipe for gumbo and it is by far the greatest in all of the world.  But I was hungry for gumbo the other day and did not have all of the necessary ingredients nor the level of commitment that it took to make a roux and so on.  I searched online for a quick and easy gumbo recipe.  I found one, made it, and it was actually very good!  Not as good as moms.  But perfect in a pinch.  Shrimp Gumbo with Tabasco Sauce is most definitely a gift from the Lord.

PS- Here is a link to the recipe.  I left out the green onions and added 2 cans of lump crab meat.  Yum!
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Quick-Shrimp-Gumbo

Gift #226- The Lord's Supper with our children

We always participate in the Lord's supper on the first Sunday of each month at our base chapel.  I can not tell you what a blessing it is to see all of my children holding the bread and the cup.  I am not sure if there is a bigger blessing than knowing that your children believe!