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Distracted

Feb 10th, 2010 by Amy

I knew something wasn’t quite right when I heard Jackson squealing with unabashed delight from the other room.  My first mistake was being in the other room.  My second mistake was allowing myself to be distracted by the ever-important task of plucking my eyebrows.  Realizing the inspiration for Jackson’s joy couldn’t possibly be the zillionth re-play of “Dora’s Search For Squeaky”, but had to be something potentially dangerous or illegal (as in, illegal in the Slater home), I dropped the tweezers and ran.

 

Sure enough, I was welcomed into the playroom with a white carpet entrance brought to me by Jackson and two completely unraveled rolls of toilet paper.  Not a happy moment for Mommy.  Toilet paper is a precious commodity at chez moi.  Taking a deep, deep breath, I exhaled and, in good Love and Logic fashion, began singing, “Uh-oh” (picking Jackson up), “so sad” (keep breathing, Amy), “I guess we need a little bedroom time” (more for Mommy’s sake than yours right now, little buddy).  I plopped him, kicking and screaming, into his bed.  “When you’re sweet (and after I’ve recovered), you can join us in the playroom.”  Lesson learned:  I will not allow myself to be distracted by unruly eyebrows ever again.

 

As I was re-rolling toilet paper (like I said, TP is a precious commodity) to the sound of Jackson’s cries for mercy from his bedroom, I recalled another time when this good intentioned Mommy was distracted, and the mayhem that followed. 

 

The house was suddenly very quiet.  My (then) three-year-old and two-year-old were nowhere to be seen or heard.  My distraction this time was nursing infant Jackson.  Wearing my son, literally, I went in search of where the silence was coming from.  Calling to the girls, I tracked them down by their giggles.  (Giggles coming from behind a closed door is never a good sign.)  When I opened their closet door, I was welcomed, again, by something white.  This time, there were white clouds of baby powder billowing and falling like snowflakes in the air.  Sydney had stripped down to her panties and proceeded to shake the Costco-sized bottle of baby powder all over herself, her sister, and every other poor, unfortunate object in their closet.  Brooklyn’s face was a mask of white. 

 

What’s a mom to do?  I put Jackson down, reached for my camera, and took a snapshot for posterity sake. 

 10-16-2006-42

Truth be told, I get distracted a lot.  I start getting into decorating mode and lose myself to tweaking my knick-knacks and Pottery Barn catalogs.  I jump on the computer to look for a recipe, read a blog, or see what my Facebook friends are up to, and I end up sucked in to the ways of the web.  I go to my closet to find something to wear…and I never come out because…I’m still trying to find something to wear.  The distractions are endless, and my kids know this.  They have a sixth sense about these things, and intuition tells me that they live for these distracting moments. 

 

Distractions can be our undoing.  Whether they are in parenting, in our relationships, or even in our pursuit of God.  It is too easy to get sidetracked and eventually knocked off track all together.

 

How do we keep ourselves from falling victim to distractions?  I can’t say that I’m an expert on this; however, one thing I know for sure, starting the day with time alone with God does wonders in keeping life on track.  I’m also learning that having a clear and specific goal in mind helps me to stay on course because I know where I’m headed.  Additionally, I believe it’s important to allow myself time to do random, time-wasting activities (but not when Jackson is awake, as evidenced by the toilet paper incident this morning). 

 

I realize, however, that some distractions are unavoidable.  Life happens, right?  Another key thing that I am learning is to roll with the punches.  I do the best I can with what I have before me.  Like I am trying to teach my kids, you don’t have to be the best, just do the best you can.  Set the goals, make appropriate choices, give yourself a break every now-and-then, and leave a little wiggle room for whatever life happens to throw your way.

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Posted in Life, Motherhood | No Comments »

Morning Rejoicing – My Brookie

Feb 8th, 2010 by Amy

“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5

Brooklyn is the rejoicing that comes in the morning.

brookcrop

As the sun wakes up and ushers in the dawn, my little Brookie’s eyes pop open with a twinkle and a smile.  She is love and hugs and a kiss on the cheek before the words “good morning” leave her mouth.  She twirls through life, as though there is perpetual music playing in her head all day long.  She is my cuddle bug, my “Oh Mommy, you’re loo-lee-ful (beautiful)”, my twenty questions throughout the day, my hot cocoa addict and my big, brown-eyed darling wrapped up in a fuzzy purple robe.  She is a treasure.

I lost a baby in February 2004.  I was heartbroken, as only those who have lost a baby can truly understand.  I wanted that baby so much.  I wanted to know why God would allow a pregnancy to end after ten weeks.

Three months later we were expecting once again.  Our due date was February 2005.

Brooklyn Ava-Marie was born on Tuesday, February 8, 2005.

Picture 311

Brooklyn’s full name means: “beautiful waterfall; running stream; giver of life; bitter sea”.  In the midst of a bitter season in our lives, this beautiful, life-giving stream was born into our family.  For five years she has blessed us with hugs, kisses and unconditional love.  My morning of rejoicing.

10-16-2006-13

Brookie, I am captivated by your wide-eyed innocence, your love for babies and puppies and early morning songs.  That you know the words to “Pocket Full of Sunshine” by heart is no surprise to me.  I am so grateful that God gave you to our family.  I am so blessed beyond my wildest hopes and lifelong dreams to get to see your sweet smile every day.

bpurplerobe

You are my precious girl, and today I celebrate your life!

Posted in Motherhood | 6 Comments »

Friday’s Free Advice

Feb 5th, 2010 by Amy

I love to be pampered.  Let me repeat myself: I love to be pampered.  I can’t think of any better gift than a spa package, complete with massage, facial, mani, pedi, an “I can’t get my nose out of this” kind of book, and a venti something in my hand.  Stuff like this makes me giddy, and by nature, I am not a girl that gets “giddy”.  However, putting my feet up and allowing someone to rub my worries away for sixty minutes, is the quickest way to my heart. 

 

It didn’t take too long for my husband to figure this out.  When, after one gift-giving mishap, he gained significant insight into what makes me tick, and he hasn’t let me down since.  Now, while I love a good massage, things like bills, groceries, gas money, (you get the picture) seem to take a financial priority to that of spa days and pedicures.  Still, I have these needs.  I can’t help myself.  So, what’s a girl like me to do?

 

Well, I have learned the art of self-pampering.  I do believe that it is possible to carve out time amidst piles of laundry, dusting, vacuuming, nap times, snack times, sibling rivalries, writing, and dinner making.  Some days it is as simple as making myself a hot cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon, and pausing for five or ten minutes.  Anything to bring myself back into focus – centered, rejuvenated - and ready to keep plowing through the never-ending list of chores and motherly responsibilities.

 

I can’t claim to be an expert, by any means, but because of my love for pampering, I have come up with various and creative ways to make sure this need of mine gets met.  Thus, I have decided to make Fridays my Free Advice days.  You can take it or leave it, it’s up to you, but I’m going to throw my two cents out there anyway (does that still make it free?).

 

My first Friday Free Advice is communicating to your spouse, significant other or a family member, what makes you tick – what replenishes you and fills your love tank.  In order to successfully do this, you need to know what your love language is.  And you can find that out by taking this test.  It can be completed in about five minutes, or less.  Next, share your results.  Your husband may want to take it too.  Believe me, discovering our different love languages (I highly recommend “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman), revolutionized my marriage.  Suddenly, we knew how to love each other in the unique ways we receive love.

 

In any case, sometimes the first step to successful pampering, is to know what it is you need, and then communicate it (appropriately) with those closest to you.  When I’ve had a bad hair day, the best thing my husband can do for me is wrap me up in his big, strong arms and hold me for a while, no words necessary.  

 

Have fun discovering your love language, and don’t forget to share it!

Posted in Fun Stuff | 4 Comments »

Hard Things

Feb 3rd, 2010 by Amy

I’ve done one or two difficult things in my life.  And by difficult, I mean, things that pushed me beyond my comfort zone and meant taking a risk.  I moved to France in August of 1999.  I lived with a woman who spoke zero English (nada, zilch…not one word of my native tongue).  I bought a wedding dress before I even had a steady boyfriend (call me crazy…I’m sure lots of people did).  I’ve climbed a mountain (okay, it was a small mountain, but it still counts because when I looked down into its crater and felt my stomach swirl and flop there was no questioning we were at a much higher altitude than your average, run-of-the-mill hill).  I’ve done a little public speaking (which I have recently learned that 95% of public speakers experience nervousness and anxiety to some degree).  And I birthed my last child sans drugs.  It was completely au natural, and I remember it like it was yesterday, believe me. 

 

Like I said, I haven’t done too many hard things, which really only means I’ve been playing it safe my whole life.  Too safe.  I’m not an adventure seeker, and you will never see me on Survivor, Amazing Race, or hanging out with the likes of Bear Grylls and the National Geographic crew.  You can forget about that.  I’m not one looking for the next thrill, but I am one who wants to live a thrilling life.  I want to be one who lives out her faith and is willing to take the chances that God brings my way.  I could easily stay on the sidelines and enjoy the comfort and security of where I am currently, but I believe if I want true blessing and an extraordinary life, then I need to start stepping out and doing a few difficult things.

 

Sunday was our missions faith-promise Sunday.  Each person/family was challenged (but not obligated) to commit a certain amount of money each month, throughout the year, for missions.  In addition to that, we were given the opportunity to participate in planting 250 churches in Ethiopia.  And in addition to that, we were given a challenge to participate with Convoy of Hope and bring one day’s salary as an offering on Easter Sunday that will go towards “One Day To Feed The World”.  Wow.  As I sat in my seat that morning, I could feel the wrestling match going on in my head and in my stomach.  “But God…it’s been such a hard year.  You can’t really be asking us to do all this?”  “God, I’m not sure I have enough faith.  I believe you can do anything, and I believe you can supply, but…this?  Really?”

 

And then something else happened.  As clear as day, I recalled what I sensed God whisper to me in the wee hours of that same morning, “Amy, trust me.  Amy, stop worrying about tomorrow.  Take care of today.  Focus on today.  Trust me with the tomorrows.”

 

And suddenly, I knew.  We couldn’t sit on the sidelines and simply watch while others stepped out in courageous faith.  We had to step out too.  We had to place all of our fears and uncertainties and, “how are we going to do this?” questions on the altar along with our faith promise commitments. 

 

This was one of those hard things.  Hard, as in, “God you have called us to do this, to step out in faith, and now we surrender to you…to the unknown path we walk.”

 

On the way home from church, Sydney called to me from the back seat, “Hey Mom! Would you break my piggy bank when we get home?”  

 

“Why, Honey?”

 

“I want to give all my money to help the people in Haiti.”

 

My heart melted.  And I realized something very profound: if Joel and I want to raise children with hearts for giving, then we must model giving.  For Sydney, this was so simple…nothing hard about it at all.  In fact, to her, giving is a delight.  Even for myself, giving this time was a joy, even though it was a step of faith.  I truly felt what it means to be a cheerful giver.

 

My family is on a mission: a mission to change the world, one small step at a time.  We will not shy away from the difficult tasks, but we will accept the challenges God brings our way and live lives with purpose and courageous faith.  We will do the hard things.

Posted in Faith, Ministry | 7 Comments »

Insecurities…And All

Feb 1st, 2010 by Amy

I’m a lucky girl.  I am surrounded by some of the most unbelievable women on. the. planet.  Seriously.  They are phenomenal mothers, wives, friends, cooks, home managers, and coupon clippers.  They are smart, witty, pretty, read their Bibles and pray every day.  It is simply an honor for me to be able to hang out with them and to know them. 

 

The challenge, not surprisingly, is that I am, maybe, fifty percent of those things, about fifty percent of the time.  I fall short…a lot.  Oh I try my darnedest to look like I’ve got myself all put together when I leave the safety of my home, but in the back of my mind I know my short-comings, and I never feel quite adequate enough.  As I hear my friends dialogue about motherhood my mind wanders to that episode with my daughter earlier in the day, when I lost my patience and snapped at her.  Or when my son kept begging me to play cars with him and I was irritated.  Oh, I played with him, but I didn’t do it with a sweet spirit (and I’m always encouraging my kids to be sweet to one another).  And so my insecurity continues to grow and grow and grow, like a festering wound deep inside my soul.

 

How do I shake the insecurity out of me?  How do stop this silly game of comparison (because it only paralyzes me)?  How do I climb out of this pit I’ve dug for myself? 

 

Here’s how:  I remember what God says about me.  I remember that He is the one who formed me in the womb, and I am fearfully and wonderfully made (yes, that is right…wonderfully).  I know I’m not perfect.  I know I will make mistakes.  But I also know that it is by God’s grace that I can wipe away the past failures and hit the delete button on shame. 

 

My mom has always said to me that my life is a book (an appropriate metaphor), and every experience, every challenge, every heartache, and every growth pain is all part of the story.  As I morph – transform – into the woman God has created me to be, there will be lots of bumps in the road.  I will struggle with insecurity, but I will also overcome.  I will catch myself looking at other women and thinking I have nothing to offer them but a long list of flaws and failures, while God still chooses to use me, insecurities and all:  mommy mess ups and all, burned dinners and unhappy eaters…and all.  And in the end, because I’m not Superwoman, God gets all the glory.  Any good that comes from my life has nothing – nothing – to do with human effort on my part. 

 

I think that’s the way God likes it.  And you know what?  I’m okay with that.  I may not be everywoman for everywoman, but I’ll just be me: insecurities, flaws, bad hair days (like the one I’m sporting right now)…and all.

Posted in Faith, Grace, Life, Motherhood | 4 Comments »

Drop The Ball

Jan 29th, 2010 by Amy

Everyone deals with stress in their own special way.  Some people lash out and attack, while some withdraw and end up with stomach ulcers.  Others cry or spend money they don’t have, or pick up old habits they beat years ago.  For me, if you want to know the degree of stress I’m under, all you need do is take a look at my house.  When stressed, my house falls apart.  Clutter, which I hate as much as going to the dentist, fills every empty space, every drawer, and every closet.  I literally freeze up while piles of paper accumulate in the kitchen, dining room, office, and bedroom.  I find facing the menial tasks before me a challenge because all my energy and focus is on the issue at hand.

 

For a little over a month, Joel and I were under a tremendous weight of stress.  There are stressors every day, but this was out-of-the-ordinary kind of stress.  We had some major decisions to make, and quite honestly, it was all I could do to just walk out the door with my hair done and a smile on my face.  My poor house sat neglected for weeks.  (I suppose I should set a disclaimer here that my house did not go without being cleaned for two months – I can only neglect to a point – but stacks and stacks of clutter, clothes, papers, etc., were accumulating, and I hadn’t an ounce of motivation to face them and clean them up.)  It wasn’t until earlier this week that closure was made on this particular decision we were facing.  Suddenly, it was as though I had lost twenty pounds.  The burden and the stress began to ripple off my back, and I felt my old-self climbing up out of clutter.

 

And you can only guess what happened next.  Yep.  This house is in major de-clutter mode.  The other morning I pulled every file out of our filing drawer and began re-organizing, purging, and filing (filing, filing, filing) all the papers, bills and statements that had been collecting dust in our dining room.  And my favorite part has been throwing miscellaneous papers, envelopes, and forgotten art projects away.  I feel great…and I’ve only just begun.  Slowly but surely, my home will be back in working order.

 

Which brings me to my point in sharing this little insight into my stress management, or lack thereof.  There are seasons in our lives that sometimes overwhelm and bear down so hard on us that it’s all we can do to simply get up and out of bed in the morning.  Have you ever faced a time like this?  I have.  And too often, when we are in those seasons, what compounds the difficulty is the stress we feel from outside expectations – that we have to keep all the balls in the air in spite of the pain or grief or depression…or whatever it is we are facing.  And I just want to say, it’s okay to drop a couple of balls now and then.  It’s okay to let the loose ends remain loose for a while.  I’m not a real fan of a dirty, cluttery house (just ask Joel…he loves to tease me about my obsessive compulsive tendencies), but there are times when my focus and energy are pushed so far in one direction that something’s gotta give.  Something needs to go by the wayside until the pressure has passed and I sense relief. 

 

I’m not encouraging a life void of discipline, but when a life is in crisis, or under heavy stress, I am encouraging a life void of unnecessary pressures.  Because, my friends, if you are going through a dark season right now, and you haven’t given yourself any wiggle room to let go of a few things, then I strongly believe you are setting yourself up to snap.  And I would sure hate it if someone I knew, or someone who reads this blog, ended up falling apart into a million pieces. 

 

You know, God’s not expecting perfection.  He’s already got that one in the bag.  If you are at your breaking point, He just wants you to come as you are – frail and weak.  I think He’d tell you the same thing that I’m trying to tell you:  that it’s okay to drop a few of those balls you’ve been frantically juggling, and let Him take care of you.  Eventually, when this tough patch has cleared, and you find yourself on the other side, whole and renewed, then you can pick those balls back up.  You can jump back into your life, but this time complete…restored.

 

Believe me, I share this because I’ve experienced the breaking point, and it’s not somewhere I ever want to revisit.  That’s why the papers will pile up every now and then, the closets will look like a bomb went off in them, and our junk drawer will look like a junk yard.  I’m learning to quit the juggling act and allow God to hold on to the balls for me because when I’ve overcome the obstacle in my way, the balls will always be waiting for me on the other side, and I’ll be in much better shape to handle them.

Posted in Faith, Life, Motherhood | 6 Comments »

Asking “Why” About Haiti

Jan 27th, 2010 by Amy

I love the wild and unpretentious things that spring forth from my children’s mouths like, “Mommy, when you’re mad your eyes get red!”  Or “Mommy, I put pee pee in the potty!  I’m a big boy!  You put pee pee in the potty too!  You a big girl!” – such sweet innocence.  Sometimes their simplistic views and profound observations make me smile.  I love to listen to my children discover life – taking in all the wonderment of this world they occupy.

 

However, recently Sydney has been asking some pretty deep questions.  Much, much heavier content than, “Why do you wear make-up?” and “Do I really have to be a grown up someday?”  Lately the questions she’s been throwing my way have been inspired by the tragedy in Haiti.  “Did God make the earthquake?”  “Why did it happen?”  “Why did God let it happen?”  “Did those people do something wrong?”  Joel and I are not ones to throw petty answers at our children when they ask us tough questions, realizing at the same time, we need to keep our answers 6-year-old friendly.

 

As I was forming a response in my head, I felt overwhelmed.  How do I explain that the same God we have taught her about since she was squirming around in my womb – the God who is loving, compassionate, our protector, Who has good things for His children, Whom she has invited into her life – would allow an earthquake to trample a city to the ground, killing thousands upon thousands of men, women and children?  How do I explain the character of God to a 6-year-old, without confusing or skewing the image of such a gracious, merciful and forgiving Heavenly Father? 

 

Sorting out the best way to answer, I started thinking about the people who don’t believe in God at all.  Perhaps they are asking the same questions as my little girl.  What would I say to them?

 

Here is the response I came up with:

 

God is good, but sometimes, bad things happen.  Sometimes God allows tragedy because He knows what is best for us.  Just like I allow Sydney to make mistakes, knowing full well the consequence in the end will not be a pleasant one.  While God is in control of all the earth and everything in it, He still gives it permission to operate, rotate, breathe in and breathe out, fulfilling its cycles as it was created to do. 

 

Could He have saved those who perished?  Yes.  He could have.  Was He punishing them, and therefore chose not to save them?  No.  While He could have swooped in and protected each one of the earthquake victims, God chose not to.  And quite honestly, we’ll never know why or understand fully as long as we’re living on earth.  That’s a tough answer to swallow.  We like to know why.  We like to understand and rationalize and make sense of uncertainties.  It is very difficult to settle with the fact that we won’t always know why.

 

Here’s the thing.  Life is precious to God.  His character will always be good, righteous, holy and pure.  But we live in a broken world.  When Adam and Even chose to disobey the one command God gave to them in the Garden of Eden, sin entered into the picture…and life has never been the same.  Bad things are going to happen.  Good and bad people alike will suffer here on earth.  Even Christians will suffer. 

 

Could it be, though, that God sees a picture far, far bigger than the one we are looking at right now?  Could it be that from the devastation good will emerge?  Love will bloom where once it had no root?  That those who’s hearts were hardened to God, may, in fact, be melting at this very moment?  It’s difficult to imagine that anything good could come from this, but I don’t see all the details, or the full scope of the image God sees.  Could it be that while we are searching to understand why, God is already at work answering our questions, opening up our eyes to His panoramic view, little by little?  And while we may never see it fully, we may at least catch a tiny glimpse of the image God sees, and realize He was always good, and He was there the whole time.

 

I think it’s great to ask why, and I’m so touched that Sydney would feel comfortable to ask such questions of me, and my husband.  Sometimes I might be able to give a clear-cut answer, but other times, like this, I won’t.  She’ll have to learn to settle for the fact that not all “whys” have answers.  She’ll have to wrestle with it on her own, just as all of us do.  But the one thing I pray she will hold on to for her entire life is that God is good…no matter what.

Posted in Current Events, Faith, Motherhood | 4 Comments »

A Zest For Something

Jan 25th, 2010 by Amy

We don’t get out very much.  This became even more apparent to me when I was stuck in the middle of a conversation revolving around the most recent films to hit theaters.  The women were chatting it up about The Blind Side, It’s Complicated and a host of other grown up movie treats.  Subsequently they turned in my direction, as to not exclude me from the conversation, and asked if I had seen anything good lately.  If Chipmunks – The Squeakquel counted then, yes indeed, I’d seen something good.  Real good because, for an hour-and-a-half, my three chipmunks’ eyes were glued to the movie screen.

 

Date nights don’t materialize too often, or as often as Joel and I would like them to.  And when we do get a night out to ourselves we, more often than not, choose to go somewhere conducive to talking and looking at each other, rather than a movie.  It would have to be a pretty good film for us to spend twenty bucks on something that will gobble up one of our rare and precious date nights.  One such movie that I was willing to sacrifice coffee and conversation for was Julie and Julia, which came out late summer, early fall.  Sadly, for me, our schedule was too packed, and we never got a chance to see it.  So, when asked what DVD I might like to find in my stocking for Christmas, I didn’t hesitate to say, Julie and Julia.  And Santa was good to me.

 

We watched it on a Saturday night.  I remember this detail as I had made minestrone soup in my crock-pot for dinner, and hailed myself as a gourmet genius for producing such a tasty and flavorful meal.  However, as I watched the ladies in the film cut, pour, mix, marinade, stuff and wait, I realized that my idea of cooking was a little less complicated.  I’m a throw-it-all-in-one-dish-and-cook-for-thirty-minutes type gourmette.  I don’t like anything that takes hours, days or weeks to prepare.  In fact, the truth be told, I don’t really like to cook – plain and simple.  I’m not very good at it either.  Seriously.  If you want to know how to kill a dead chicken, just ask me.  My technique is both flawless and consistent.  I believe this is why the crock-pot is my favorite kitchen appliance (besides the dishwasher and coffee maker, of course).  So, while I wasn’t inspired to run out and buy Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, I was deeply impressed by both women’s passion for food and cooking, and where that passion took them.

 

The movie challenged me to take a critical look at myself and ask, “What am I passionate about?”  What is it that motivates me to get up in the morning (besides coffee), and what am I willing to face the ups and downs, the growing pains and the dry and empty days for?  Some things are just a given: my love and devotion for God, my husband and children.  Still, there’s got to be more to this time I spend on earth than serving God, loving my husband and raising a family.  And I don’t believe this feeling to be selfish either.  I need to have a zest for something.

 

My ponderings brought me to writing.  I love to write.  Now whether or not I’ve got the chops to actually write a book that will be purchased by more than just my immediate family, I have yet to see.  Time will tell.  I started my blog for the simple purpose of honing my craft.  If people like what they read then I’m moving in the right direction.  If it stinks, then I need to find a new passion…and quick.  There are days when I honestly wonder if all this work is worth it.  I wonder if I’m really making much of a dent in my dream to be a published author some day. 

 

There was one scene in the movie that spoke volumes to me.  Julia Child entered cooking school in France.  They were chopping onions.  She was slow…slower than my crock-pot.  While the other students had completed the task, and done exceptionally well at it, she was only half way through her onion.  Rather than throw in the towel and surmise that cooking was not in the cards for her, she went home and started chopping – lots and lots and lots of onions – until her skills had surpassed those of her classmates.  If Julia Child had to actually work at her technique, what makes me any different?  She didn’t start out as the shining star in her class, but as her passion led the way, her name became synonymous with French cooking.

 

Mine may not be the most widely read blog on the internet (in fact, I can tell you with great certainty that it is not), but I’m going to take my bag of onions and keep chopping until I’ve perfected this skill.  Until I have reached my dream and realized the passion within my heart.  I can’t say that I’ll be cooking up Beef Bourguignon anytime soon ever, but I will be cooking up all kinds of thoughts and words, paragraphs and stories that will, I pray, one day waft through the aisles of Barnes and Noble like the succulent aroma of Coq au Vin or Choux de Bruxelles a la Milanaise.

 

What are you passionate about?  What dreams keep you up at night?  What are you willing to chop to perfection or “pound into submission” (to steal a line from Julie and Julia)?  What will be your Beef Bourguignon?  I urge you to find that thing – your zest for something – and give it everything you’ve got!

 

Let’s not waste another second hoping and wishing.  Let’s get out there and chop our onions.  Let’s seize our zest for something and see what rich flavors we can all bring to the table. 

 

Bon Appetite, my friends!

Posted in Life, Writing/Blogging | 9 Comments »

The Cool People

Jan 22nd, 2010 by Amy

uggs

I think I moved a few rungs up the ladder of coolness after my family gave me a pair of Uggs for my birthday.  They are divine (as far as a winter foot accessory goes), and I feel slightly glamorous each time I slip them on my feet.  Although, I can’t seem to fight the compulsion to explain that I did not buy them myself (because the thought of paying almost $200 for a pair anything knocks the wind out of me), but they were a gift. 

 

The only glitch I encountered was figuring out how to wear my brand new, gray Classic Cardy Uggs.  I don’t trust my judgment on matters like these, and the first few times I walked them out the door, I wore them exactly as they came in the box.  I didn’t want to take any chances.  Then, one morning I thought I would be daring, and started playing around with the buttons, thinking perhaps I would wear them straight up the leg instead of folded down around the ankle.  Of course, I had an audience of three – Sydney, Brooklyn and Jackson – who were quick to give me their input and fashion expertise.  “Down!  Wear them down, Mommy!  They look much better down.”  They seemed to agree on one thing for certain, I should wear my Cardy Uggs folded down.  I crinkled my nose, tilted my head and followed their advice (daring, I know).

 

Later that day I was having dinner with friends, one of which who also received the Classic Cardy Uggs recently as a gift.  Hers were folded down (sigh of relief coming from me).  She is probably on the top of my list of friends with amazing taste and a flair for fashion.  I went ahead and asked her for some Ugg mentoring.  What I learned from this brief coaching moment was that only dorks wear their Cardy Uggs all the way up the calf.  The cool people (and I gotta be cool) wear them with two buttons clasped and folded down (another sigh, and a quick kudos to my girls who saved me from being a dork earlier that morning). 

 

Thank you to my parents and my sister for my warm, cozy and fashionable Uggs, and to my children for making sure I wore them the way the cool people do.  Where on earth would I be without my family? 

 

Oh.  I know. 

 

Uggless and, most definitely, uncool.

Posted in Fun Stuff, Random | 1 Comment »

Legacy – Part Two

Jan 20th, 2010 by Amy

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Have you thrown a temper tantrum lately?  I have.  I know what you’re probably thinking:  “That’s something I’d like to see!  Amy throwing a temper tantrum!”  Before you get all excited envisioning my five foot eight frame flailing about on the ground, my meltdown was a little less exuberant.  I didn’t realize at the time that my outburst was, in fact, a temper tantrum until we starting dealing with a succession of bedtime battles with Sydney.

 

Whether it was coming off of the holiday sugar high, or the stress we’ve been under over the past few months, or the fact that Joel was preparing to leave on an eleven-day building trip to Nicaragua with a group from our church, Sydney downright lost it.  And when I say, “lost it”, I mean lost ALL of IT.  Night after night we faced the same drama:  arms and legs twisting and swinging this way and that; blood curdling screams that made our hearts drop to the pits of our stomachs; red-faced angry words that stung and bruised and didn’t make sense all at the same time.  Sydney has always been a challenge, but meltdowns of this proportion are very rare, and this specific behavior hadn’t graced our lives in well over a year. 

 

While Joel was in Nicaragua I begged God for a hiatus from these explosions.  I think He must have had mercy on me, because, while there were still outbursts, they were manageable.  Either that, or He granted me some much needed wisdom and insight in dealing with them properly.  On one such occasion we were driving home from an outing, and it was late.  Sydney started spiraling out of control emotionally.  Instantly I had the good sense to stop her, and in a calm voice ask her what I could do to help.  I said, “Sydney, I can see that you are upset, and I really want to help you.  What is it that I can do for you right now?”  She sniffled and snorted then said, “I can’t think.  I’m crying.”  I replied, “Then, you need to stop crying and start thinking.  I love you and I really do want to help you, but until you stop crying and start thinking, there’s nothing I can do for you.”  It was like magic.  Instantly anger was diffused, muscles relaxed and she quieted down long enough to think and listen.

 

I’m not a super mom, by any means, but by remaining calm and thoughtful in an irrational moment, I was able to safely reign in my emotionally expressive child.  This has made me think a lot about my relationship with God.  While I haven’t been physically thrashing my body in a heated temper tantrum over not getting my way, I have been mindless in my cries to God.  In my head I thought things were supposed to go a certain way, and they didn’t…so rather than stop and find out God’s thoughts on the matter, I’ve whined, cried, questioned, and blubbered out selfish one-way prayers.  Sydney’s tantrums have brought much conviction to me.

 

When I finally drew in a deep breadth and exhaled, God had a chance to speak, to say, “Hey Amy, I really love you and I want to help you, but you need to stop crying first.”  When I stopped crying, and started listening to the still, small voice of my Heavenly Father, He started speaking. 

 

The following four life practices that I will be implementing this year are what I sensed God calling me to do in that quiet moment of reflection:

 

  • Wait (in silence and solitude) – Psalm 46:10 NIV “Be still, and know that I am God.” Isaiah 40:31 KJV “But they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings as eagles.”  Before I rush out planning and making decisions, I sense that God is quietly urging me to pause – to wait in the stillness of His presence.  Rather than fret and worry, He is calling me to quiet my mind, seek after Him, long for Him, and He will bring clarity, straightforward answers and peace that passes understanding. 

 

  • Delight in the Lord – Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  When I begin to delight, cherish and take care of those things that are dear to God, then He, in turn, will do the same for me.  And really, God cares a million times more about my husband, children, daily needs, hopes, heart desires and dreams than I ever could.  (I have a strong feeling I will need to practice this on a daily basis.)

 

  • Thanksgiving – Psalm 50:23 NIV “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”  Sometimes it’s easy to come before God with a heart of thanksgiving; like after a long-awaited prayer has been answered, or everything in life is going our way.  However, there are those times when thanksgiving is a sacrifice.  It doesn’t come natural.  It may even hurt.  You know that scripture, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is the tree of life”?  Well, offering up words of thanks and gratitude to God when the heart is sick is what I believe it means to offer up a sacrifice of thanksgiving.  I believe God is calling me to thank Him even though I have yet to see the longing of my life fulfilled.  In due time, He will make all things beautiful.  I am going to focus on the hope of what is to come, thank Him in advance for it, even if it hurts.

 

  • Sacrificial giving – Psalm 65:11 NIV “You crown the year with your bounty and your carts overflow with abundance.”  Tithing is a no brainer.  God’s Word instructs us to give Him a tenth of our earnings (Deuteronomy 14:22).  When we do so, we are living in obedience.  I don’t believe God to be a tyrant up there in heaven wielding a big stick, ready to swat at anyone who so much dares not tithe.  However, I believe that those who do tithe are in a much better position for favor, blessing and protection than those who don’t.  God is not legalistic, but He has set these instructions before us for our benefit.  When we don’t tithe it only ends up hurting us, not Him.  That said, even while tithing may sometimes feel like a sacrifice, Joel and I believe God is calling us to re-align our finances and give beyond our regular tithes and offerings – to give sacrificially.  Only blessing can be reaped when we give to that which touches our Father’s heart, especially when that giving isn’t an easy thing to do.

 

So, there you have it, in a not-so-little nutshell.  This is only the tip of the iceberg, but a great start to what I hope will be a life well lived – a life bearing fruit, pursuing a dream and leaving a legacy.

Posted in Faith, Life, Ministry | 2 Comments »

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