DMV

I am so glad I had my camera in my purse the day Micah went to take his driving test. His test was uneventful, except he was told to take it easy on turns and not give the tester whiplash. Can't you tell how excited Micah is? He's bursting with pride and excitement.

Women of Joy, Louisville KY

Hope and I got to retreat to KY this past weekend for some girl time and to attend a very special event - The Women of Joy Conference. This was a first for both of us and we enjoyed our time together very much.

Hope was probably more excited than I was, mainly due to the guest speaker she would hear on Friday evening - Sarah Palin. The WOJ conference was sold out at Louisville. Last year 5000 attended the event. This year - there were over 16,000 women in attendance!

We were all surprised and Sarah was delighted that the media was banned from attending or entering this event. There were some reporters present, because the Louisville paper had a recap of the speech the following morning. But those reporters had to purchase tickets well in advance just like the rest of us, if they wanted to hear the speech.

Sarah's speech was not a political one, although she did make a couple of political points. Instead her speech focused on being a good mom, wife, and citizen. Her speech lasted nearly an hour. She had no notes that I could see, no telepromptor, and was never at a loss of words. The only time she bumbled her words, was as she tried to call out all the names of her children. All moms can certainly relate to that! She did show a couple of words scrawled on her hand with a Sharpie - and joked about this being the "poor man's telepromptor."

She shared some of her mom experiences. Like boarding a plane and noticing baby food on her suit, and realizing what she thought was her laptop bag, was actually her diaper bag. She also shared that in though times, all she has to fall back on is her faith and prayer. Sarah likes to have someone to pray with her before speeches and appearances. She mentioned that just before she was to give her first televised speech (with 40+ million viewers) as McCain's VP running mate, the only person she could find to pray with her was her daughter Piper. She told Piper to "come say a prayer with Mommy, and to ask God to speak through her" to which Piper replied, "MOM, isn't that's cheating?!"

Her main message is that all of us are always just a phone call away from having our world turned upside down. And for Sarah, it was faith that sustained her through a rocky year. Her son was deployed to Iraq, her daughter became pregnant, Sarah found out she was expecting and the child would have Down's syndrome. By the time McCain called her to run for VP, she thought, "Why NOT?"

I could certainly related to Sarah sharing about her questioning God for allowing so much trial and turmoil in her life in a short amount of time. Her faith never waivered, but she couldn't believe what was happening to her family. Often times, I think we are quick to judge those who would question why things are happening to them. But when Sarah finally told her husband Todd that their 5th child would have Down's syndrome, and complained, "Why us?" his gentle response was, "Why not us?" It is obvious she adores that man too :)

I've googled this event and am sad that so many reports focus on one statement she made about not being able to separate religion from government. Of course those news agencies were not present and able to understand the context in which her speech was given . As Christians, WE cannot separate God's presence, His will, and our faith from different segments of our lives. Everything we do, should reflect our faith. But mark my words, this is NOT how her statement is being presented. If she had any chance of running for President in 2012, the media will kill that chance because of this one statement. And that really is too bad.

Rally Day at the State Capitol

I am amazed how many special opportunities are available for our kids as home schooled students. Rally Day has been an annual event held at the State Capital every year for the past 10 years. This was our first year to attend and we had a blast. The HCA choir sang twice - at the War Memorial Auditorium during the rally and again at the luncheon the home school students held for the state legislators. Hope had a solo during America the Beautiful. Some students in our group got to meet with Republican Rep. Mae Beavers in her office. She signed copies of the TN State Blue Book for each student. We were also treated to a special luncheon. Afterwards we visited a couple of free museums downtown then headed home. It was a beautiful day.

Mae Beavers signing Blue Books for Micah and Hope:

HCA Choir performing at the War Memorial Auditorium during the Rally:

Hope singing her solo during America the Beautiful:

HCA Choir singing for the Legislative Luncheon:

Goofing off at the War Memorial after the Rally:

Loveless Cafe

Since Ethan went to college last fall, our time together as a whole family unit is a rare thing. Once a month we like to clear the calendar for a nice dinner out - preferrably somewhere a little out of the ordinary. Last weekend, we decided to load up the minivan and make the 54 mile drive from Lebanon to the Loveless Cafe. The Loveless used to be an oaisis at the end, or the beginning of Nachez Trace on Hwy 100 near Belview. At one time, there were about 15 motel style rooms for renting, and much of the food served in the cafe was grown or raised on the farm. We've heard nothing but great reviews about this place and really enjoyed our time and meal together. Afterwards, we took some funny photos at interesting points on the property.

The Best and The Worst of 2009

2009 was the quickest year of my life and I didn't take time to post very much very often. I regret not sharing at least some of our family highlights in words and photos. Here's a quick recap - THE BEST AND WORST of 2009.

BEST - first family ski trip to Winterplace VA:

WORST - Laundry for a family of 5:

BEST: Firstborn turned 18:

WORST: This is all he got:

BEST: Our daughter wowed us and the crowd at the HCA talent show:

WORST: Toby never came back :(

BEST: SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS:

WORST: Never ending rain took away or driveway:

BEST BEE EVER!

WORST: Having a Camaro Z28 in disrepair for months on end:





BEST - Meeting THE PIONEER WOMAN:



BEST AND WORST - Moving firstborn into his dorm:


BEST AND WORST - Ethan passes the baton onto Micah. Here's training day - older training the younger:

WORST: Sometimes our lives were just plain "CRAPPY"

BEST - Richard finally finding a job.

WORST - Having $1600 in fraudulent bank charges!

BEST - Attending Handel's Messiah at the Schermerhorn a week before Christmas.

BEST - Eating Fried Zucchini at Maggiano's

BEST - Ethan Graduating from HIGH SCHOOL

WORST - I can't find his photos to upload!

BEST - Camp trip to Great Smoky Mountains

WORST - It rained most of our trip

I could keep on going, but all in all, there were more BESTS than WORSTS this past year. Here's wishing everyone a BEST 2010!

Why am I Here?

It is no news flash that our family has had our share of ups and downs. Although the ups have been really good, the downs have been pretty tough. I suppose it is only human nature that allows the mind, heart, and soul to feel the scars of pain more than the joys of life. Joy comes and goes, but pain is always with us, or so it seems.

I've watched my 6'2", 220lb father waste away to 140lbs as cancer overtook him. My sweet Momma deteriorated over a few weeks, losing her ability to move, reason, and even write her own name as cancer won a quick battle over her body. My grandmother faced a courageous but wicked battle with leukemia. My own body has never been the same following some damaging health issues. I gave birth to a stillborn daughter at 6 months along during my 3rd pregnancy - a child I love so much but never knew. Our precious daughter will never know what a full field of vision is like. And it's going to take us a decade to recover from 18 months of job loss. So many people suffer every day, every where, all the time. It is easy to be impacted deeply by so much pain and suffering.

From my humble - human perspective, I often think I can't stand any more suffering, for myself, or for the human race. There is so much injustice in the screwed up world. So much hunger, pain, abuse, disease, and evil. I understand we lived in a screwed up world because of sin. But none of us ever asked to be created and brought to earth to live. I'm not sure, if given the choice in the beginning, that I would ever chose to live on earth as a human. Through some of my darkest times, I've often asked God why He made me, why He made any of us, and why did He put us here?

Why did God put us here? He really doesn't need us to DO anything for Him right? He's the I AM, the ONE AND ONLY, The ALL IN ALL, the BEGINNING AND END. He can speak great things into being, or wipe them out in a sweep of hand. So that can't be the reason I'm here. Did He put us here to pass or fail some type of test? It seems a huge injustice to keep creating people for life here on earth - a life where we are destined to suffer greatly, sin often, and fail miserably. If God knew in the beginning that I would fail Him, why did He make me in His image and fill me with my first breath anyway?

I think there is an answer to the "Why am I Here" question found in Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This scripture has kept me going lately and I must keep repeating it often on a daily basis. My purpose -our purpose, is pretty simple, although we often make it more complicated. We are put here simply to DO GOOD, all day, every day, all the time, our purpose is to do good.

Yep, all this suffering and evil is unjust and none of us ever asked for it. But by doing good all the time, we can ease the suffering of those around us. We can give water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, show kindness when is isn't deserved, and love deeply. And God promises that one day, He will take his hand, reach out and touch my face, and dry my final tear. Then I will never, ever cry, hurt, or suffer anymore. Knowing this keeps me going too. So, what keeps you going?

Life, Love, Rememberance, and Deliverance

Our preacher recently requested members e-mail him any personal stories relating to God's deliverance or second chances. I had a little something to share, but the e-mail came back to me not once but twice. I almost didn't resend the story below because I was pretty sure I had missed the deadline. I never even heard back from Mr. Preacher Man and was caught off guard when he read this to our entire congregation last Sunday. The timing of it all is so fitting. This week marks the 22nd anniversary of Dad's passing. Also my Mom and Grandfather shared October birthdays. And our Joise Mae would be 12 this October. So here's to life and love, death and deliverance and a lot of remembering.....

My husband and I have been married over 23 years now. We have been through a lot together from the beginning of our marriage. My father died of cancer a year after we married. My mother died 7 years later of cancer. They were very young, 46 and 53 respectively. My younger brother was 16 when Mom died and my husband agreed that my brother should live with us as long as he wanted. My brother could have let this tragedy turn him into a bitter, angry, and rebellious teenager. But he stuck to the straight path, and in spite of all the obstacles Satan put in his way, became a minister. For me my “day of deliverance” was the day he came home here to College Hills as the guest speaker for homecoming Sunday. Oh, and by the way – my mother prayed fervently the prayer of Hannah. She always wanted a son who would grow up to be a minister. God certainly answered her prayer, although she wasn’t here on earth to witness that answer.
I could write a book about how Satan has worked overtime on me and my family. Maybe someday I will. But for now I will simply emphasize that my parents were simple, faithful people who loved God and their every day lives reflected that. Sometimes it seems as though Satan has the upper hand because he never lets up. But good has overcome evil, even in this life. And that IS the big picture.