strAngel

Three stories, three strangers...the memory of my encounters today will forever change the way I see a stranger.

Story #1:

I kicked back in the elevator to enjoy a rare, peaceful moment once the “Elevator-Button-War” ended as my children and I rode down after an appointment.  That peaceful moment was really more like a nano-second because as soon as the doors opened, all hell broke loose.

My pokey four-year-old was the last to exit the elevator doors.  He was holding a beloved sticker he had just received (for "good behavior") when the slight breeze from the doors closing snatched the sticker from his hands.  We all watched helplessly as the doors shut and sealed us from Judah’s little “precious”.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth ensued.

I frantically pressed the button but the elevator was already ascending to new heights while my little boy was descending to a pile of tears.  I instructed my other children to remain in stand-by-emergancy mode while I knelt by Judah and tried to negotiate with a grief-stricken boy.  

The elevator doors reopened to reveal...nothing.  The sticker was M.I.A.  While I was racking my brain to come up with something that would be as incredible as a fire-breathing dragon sticker so that Judah would be distracted long enough to get him to our car without causing even MORE of a scene, an angel appeared.  

Enter into the scene Stranger #1:  He was a tall man wearing a baseball cap and a hooded sweatshirt with lots of wrinkles around the corner of his eyes when he smiled .  

“Are you looking for a little sticker?”  He asked me and when I nodded, he grinned, “I saw it up on the fifth floor, I’ll go get it!”  Before I could stop him (because I’m sure he had NOTHING better to do during a work-day than ride elevators to rescue little stickers!), the doors closed and he was gone.  He reappeared, his halo shining brightly, holding that blasted, I mean, blessed sticker.  Judah promptly grabbed the sticker and mumbled a "thank-you" while I resisted hugging him as he waved off the noble gesture then disappeared.

Story #2:

Our next stop that day was to pick up some photographs that we had taken of the children.  I had browsed through the extra photos they offered and although I loved them, I knew it would be more than we could afford so purchased only the original package.  After I left and took out the photos, I noticed all the pictures were in my bag.  I was shocked.  We hadn’t paid for the extra pictures; how did they get into our bag?  I hurried back to the shop to return the other photos certain that there had been a mistake when Stranger #2 appeared.

“There is no mistake,” The lady with bright, blue eyes said with a smile, “I am giving all those pictures to you.”  I tried to refuse but she waved off the gesture and crossed her arms, adamant about me keeping all the photographs.  I thanked her for the gift, watching her return to the photo studio with a flash of her angel-wings.

Story #3:

My last errand was to a department store to “quickly” grab a few items we couldn't make it to the end of the day without them.  Of course, by the time we were exiting the store, “quick” was a distant memory and my five-year-old was pushing the extra cart (nevermind that he couldn’t actually SEE over it!) with our “few items”.  Just as I was attempting to help Gideon steer (after sending yet another person to the hospital with “cart-crash-injuries”) while steering my own cart towards the parking-lot, Stranger #3 suddenly showed up.

“Here, let me take this cart and help you!”  She had an easy laugh that filled my frazzled heart with joy as she boldly stepped in to help us out.  She smoothed a wrinkled sweater as she looked us over and commented with a knowing smile, “You must be a Christian.”  

I wasn’t exactly sure why she thought that but figured it was either because I hadn’t yet (yet is the key word here, ha!) used any expletives in our given situation or because it was apparent my hubby and I were breeding like bunnies.  Either way, it was true, so I nodded and smiled back.  

She was practically glowing while she chatted my ear off on the way out to our vehicle.  Once there, she insisted upon loading all the bags into the back while I loaded up the kids and I reluctantly gave in (accepting help is not my strong suit!).  While I was strapping in my little girl and before I could even get her name or express my undying gratitude, I heard her call out “good-bye” as she too, with a pinch of angel dust, disappeared.

Another stranger.

Another angel.

I reflected on our busy, ordinary day that, because of encountering three angelic-strangers, had become rather extraordinary.  You never know who has a halo hidden under a baseball-cap or a pair of glowing wings concealed beneath a wrinkled sweater.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.   Hebrews 13:1-3

My Disease with NO Human Cure

Don’t you love those “cold sweat” moments?  I’m not even sure what that means (isn’t sweat, by its very nature, HOT?!) but I have definitely experienced them...in fact, I just had such a moment the other night...

The scene was our hometown grocery story and the setting started oh-so-serene: I was lazily strolling through the aisle, shopping at my leisure as I only had ONE child (yep, count ‘em-JUST one little angel, how hard can THAT be, right?!) in my care that day.  The girls were off to the grandparent’s house to have a lovely day and the older boys were living it up in the city with the other set of grandparents.  So I had no distractions and no excuses to NOT have a peaceful and joy-filled day...or did I?!

I had just set the first grocery item on the check-out line when my sleeping angel suddenly woke up and decided he was STARVING and wanted to eat NOW.  His blood-curling screams filled the air as I vainly attempted to shove “the silencer” (aka, a pacifier) in his cute little mouth.  After it was spit out for the hundredth time, I gave up and frantically chucked everything from my cart onto the conveyer belt, wishing the cart were lighter so I could just lift it up and dump the whole thing on the belt and get this miserable moment over with.  Meanwhile, a sweet friend pulled up behind me and I (lamely) attempted to chat with her while all I could think was “MUST FEED BABY!!  CRYING BABY!!”.

It must have been a year later when the cashier finally gave me my total and I threw her my debit card, which, NATURALLY, wouldn’t work on the machine as the strip was worn off.  

Groceries piling.
Friend chatting.
Card not working.
Baby SCREAMING.
People staring.

This was definitely turning into a COLD SWEAT moment.

I sped home (“MUST FEED BABY!!”) and didn’t even take the time to get the melting ice-cream into the freezer.  I hurriedly got Daniel out of his car-seat then bumped into my unsuspecting husband as I raced towards the nursery.  For some reason, that moment seemed like a good time to him to bring up a sticky topic.  He left the nursery five minutes later...without his head.

I collapsed into the rocker to feed my baby, grateful Daniel was now happy and no longer crying...but now his mama was NOT happy and crying her eyes out!

My heart felt like a dish-rag that had all the water squeezed out of it.  Where was my joy?  If I was brutally honest with myself (and with God), then the truth was it wasn’t just a bad day or a cold-sweat moment that zapped it from me.  There had been a small leak in my heart for quite some time and the joy I once had was...gone.

I felt short of breath as it hit me: I had a disease with no human cure.  The joy-less heart symptoms were all there; snapping at my husband, short with my kids, basing my happiness on circumstances (peaceful baby, a fun outing, healthy children, money in the bank, a clean home) instead of having true JOY no matter WHAT was going on around me (screaming baby, cancelled plans, sick kids, tight budget, a messy home).  How had I been so blind to the disease of joy-lessness that was slowly eating away at me?!

I felt my shoulders slump in defeat.

I used to think I could conquer the world and now I now felt I could no longer conquer a pile of laundry.

Okay, God, I get that my heart is joy-less...but how do I get my joy back?

I felt as if I were standing before a fork in the road and each road before me was marked with a different sign. One direction had a huge, flashing sign marking a well-worn road, it read “Keep Striving”, and I knew that path was the one I had been traveling for too long.  If I chose to continue in that direction, I would just “keep striving” on my own, trying to “do it all” with my own strength and never have "enough" (time, money, grace, patience, etc.).

The other sign was faded and I could tell the road had been less traveled, it seemed quiet and at first I wondered what the simple hand-painted sign meant, “Cave”.  Then I smiled: If I chose that road I would need to “cave in” to the One who had created me and “...knows the plans He has for me: plans to prosper me and not to harm me.  Plans for a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)  The fact is I’m created to be in a crazy-love relationship with my Saviour and if I’m not spending time with Him, then...I’m just going CRAZY!!

There is no better time to take my first step back in the right direction than the present. 

That evening while Daniel slept in my arms, the sound of spring-time, singing birds wafted through the nursery window and the ice-cream melted outside in my truck, I caved.  I started back on the path with NO promises of a happy, care-free life but with a 100% guarantee that IF you travel with your Creator, joy unspeakable can fill your heart.

Even in cold-sweat moments.

Springtime Flowers with Dirt & Worms! (and Butterfly Snack-Dudes)

These flower-cups were the idea that "bloomed" when I was trying to think up a fun little treat for my boy's to bring for school snack that would celebrate our early and lovely spring season!  The best part is: they are SIMPLE (well, a little more complicated when made WITH the kids...but fun nonetheless!)

These are the only things you will need for the "flower-cups";

*pipe-cleaners (any colors)

*paper cups

*scissors, pen, markers if desired

*foam flowers (I found a package at a dollar store)

*plastic spoons

Things you'll need for "dirt & worms";

*2 boxes (or more, this makes about 6 semi-full paper cups worth) of chocolate pudding

*4 cups of milk (to make pudding)

*bowl, mixer

*12 or more Oreos, crushed up 

*gummy worms, any kind

Step One: trace the top of the paper cup on a flower then inside of that, sketch a smaller circle and cut this out for your "stencil" for all the flowers.

Trace and cut away...

Step Two: Make the pudding so it can set up while you finish the flowers.

 Chocolate, of course, so it will look like "dirt"!

Step Three: 

Decorate the cups!

The boys are ready to roll with their art cups!  (But Mama lent them some colorful permanent markers which work better on paper cups)  Decorate the cups any way you want...

Or, if you are so inclined as my one-year-old, feel free to tear up the cup instead...

 Step Four: Push the flowers on from the bottom of the cup up to the rim of the cup, they will stay on their own.  Then using 1/2 of a pipe-cleaner, poke a hole in each side and make a small handle as seen below.

Step Five: If pudding is set, fill those babies up!!  

 This may be the time that things become messy-fun!!

 Lastly, top pudding with crushed up Oreos and stick a few gummy worms into the "dirt" mix.  Go on, eat a few too!
Oh, and don't forget to stick a spoon on the side for easy eating later!

Step Six: Realize this is a messier project than originally planned...

 ...and laugh about it and thank God for swivel-sweepers to vacuum the new layer of "dirt" on the kitchen floor.

The kids were great helpers!

Well, this is all Daniel did the whole time...thanks, bud!

 And Gabby "helped" to eat the extra pudding and worms...she approved.  Kid-tested, kid-approved.

 Happy Spring, dear friends!!

Enjoy!

P.S.  Here's another little fun snack we made this week for the boy's school, "Butterfly Snack-Dudes".  

My friend, Jessica, gave me this neat little idea!  Just paint some clothespins, add pipe-cleaner antennas and clip a snack-sized Ziploc in half (use two different treats, any work!).

We also attached them with a pipe-cleaner (gotta love pipe-cleaners, they come in handy!!) to a juice-box and ta-da, a healthy snack with the drink included is good to go!

Butterflies in a line, ready to be eaten up!

Lions and Tigers and...FIRE!

“Family meeting kids!  Everyone on the couch!”

Maybe it was the tone that this was said, the look it was said with, or the smoke coming out of my ears but when that announcement rang out, all people measuring under three and half feet wasted no time jumping onto the couch with expectant little faces.

“Here’s the deal, guys,” I began, my face somber, “When I am upstairs rocking your little brother and sister to sleep, please don’t make enough noise down here to be heard in the neighboring galaxy!  And PLEASE don’t come upstairs every minute that I’m up there, because every time you do, the babies wake up.  The only reason you should come upstairs during the SHORT time I’m putting Gabby and Daniel to bed is if it’s an emergency.”

To be on the safe side, I decided I better define emergency.

“Emergencies are anything involving blood or fire.  Got it?”

The three kids stared at me, wide-eyed and attempting to mirror my own serious expression.  My four-year-old shot his hand in the air to ask a question,

“Oh, and we can come up if there is a lion out of his cage too, right?”

Sigh.

“Yes, that would be okay.”

That idea got my five-year-old thinking, “What about if a tiger is out of his cage AND inside our house, then can we come up?”

BIG sigh.

“Yes, if a tiger or lion is IN our house, that would be an emergency too.”

My two-year-old’s lip jutted out and began to quiver, “Pink princesses no like tigers and lions!!”

“It’s okay EvaLee,”  I assured her, “More than likely, a tiger or lion will never be inside our home, don’t cry, okay?”

And with that, everyone began talking...and crying at once.  There was talk about lions and tigers ...and fire!  I was so busy reassuring EvaLee that tigers couldn’t get into our house and confirming with Gideon that one should stop, drop and roll if their clothes caught on fire that I totally forgot why I had even called a family meeting about in the first place!

Later that evening, after my little fire-safety and anti-tiger kids were tucked in their beds and fast asleep, I couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the memory of my pathetic attempt of a family meeting.  I wonder sometimes how much of what I am teaching (or trying to teach!) my children actually makes it through with all the distractions that pop up along the way.

Sometimes I think I have it backwards when I review my day and consider what I DIDN’T accomplish because of the many distractions caused by the kids.  What if I considered my children the priority and all the OTHER stuff (dishes, phone calls, laundry, projects, errands, MY agenda) the distractions?  

Then I wouldn’t be so disappointed if, at the end of the day, there were still dishes in the sink but art projects drying on the counter.  I’d care less about stains on their clothes and care more about the good memories made in their hearts from sharing a messy banana split!  I’m working on working a little less so I can be “distracted more”...even if it means I get interrupted while rocking a baby to sleep with a missing Hot-Wheel’s car “emergency”!

I think another family meeting is in order.  This time I’m going to sit everyone measuring under three and half feet down with a serious look to tell them something very important.  They should know their momma is never too busy or doing something so important that they can’t interrupt every now and then.  There’s no need to wait for escaped lions, tigers or FIRE to get my attention!

What Makes God's Eyes "Drop"

When the baby cries, Judah's world STOPS.

If Daniel starts to cry, life goes on as normal for most of our kids...except for my four-year-old son, Judah, who stops EVERYTHING he is doing and rushes to his rescue.  If Daniel needs a new diaper, Judah is hovering over us: diaper, wipes and powder in hand.  If he needs to eat, Judah is rushing around to grab blankets (and me if needed!) and gently covers him up, quietly “shushing” him or singing to him while Daniel (ever so patiently, of course!) waits for his meal!

Today while I watched Judah do his baby-care-thing it suddenly brought tears to my eyes.  While his brothers and sisters (though they do adore their little sibling) continued their important jobs of Hot-Wheels races and baby-doll dressing, Judah dropped everything to serve his brother.  When Judah finally had the pillows propped just right around the baby, he caught my eye and cocked his head,

“Mommy, why are your eyes dropping?”  He asked me.  


“I’m crying because I’m so happy, bud.  Seeing you care for Daniel blesses me and I’m proud of you.”  I kissed his forehead while Judah listened intently then shrugged as if it was no big deal but to me, it was.  As I sat snuggling our sweet baby, happy he was loved by more people than just me, something hit me: could this be how God feels to see HIS children caring for each other?  Especially when they care for someone that is helpless, a person that could never thank them or repay them?

I imagined what the view from Heaven must have been like to see Mother Teresa on her feeble knees as she held a man covered in leprosy in one arm while gently bringing a cup of water to his parched lips with the other.


AMAZING.

To see a person tenderly caring for the helpless; the sick, suffering, lonely and destitute, when NO ONE else is watching and even at the risk of their own lives at times-this must be one of the greatest acts of love in the world.


Could there be anyone that better fits the description of "the helpless" better than an orphan or widow? “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:26-27)


AMAZING.


“True” religion, the kind of service that God finds pure and faultless is to look after those among us without anyone to care for them: those without a mother, a father or a spouse to protect and provide for them.


The way I read this verse leaves me with no option: this is not a suggestion, it’s a command.  I see NO clause of exception for “busy mommas with lots of babies” or “families that are on a tight budget”.  Indeed, when I read these words: conviction is heavy on my heart, leading me to my knees where I press God for an answer to my question.

“God, what are you calling ME to do TODAY to help your children in need?  What am I to do with my family to serve the orpahns and widows?”  Whatever God may answer needs our urgent attention.  It means we drop everything (Hot-Wheels racing and rat-race running too!) and tend to the child who is lonely, the girl who is sick, the boy being raised without a father, the woman grieving a great loss of love.  We MUST care or we need to ask ourselves: are we TRULY obeying our Father?


When we answer His call, I imagine there are few other things on this world that make God’s “eyes drop” than to see his children caring for each other out of a selfless heart.  


Once again, I am speechless at what I learn from a child.


AMAZING.

P.S.  If you're wondering a good place to start in helping orphans and widows, check out this wonderful organization that has a passion to reach the helpless among us: International Justice Mission

Leaving Crazy Little Footprints!

"Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your kids."

After what happened with my four-year-old son yesterday, I’m positive that whoever said this oh-so-true quote may have also known my sweet little Judah...or at least had a “free-spirited” child like him!

Parenthood: welcome to the battle of the wills.

Yesterday's battle went down in the usual location and time, outside our boy’s preschool after class.  Who would ever have imagined how many detours can be discovered by a kid in the twenty feet of sidewalk that it takes to travel from the front door of their school to a nearby car?  Nearly every day since school began, Judah has managed to find a way to do anything when I pick him up EXCEPT to quickly get into our car.  It has been the very reason I have to grip the steering wheel on the ride home to keep from turning into our local mental-health hospital to check myself in!

The majority of the children walk with their parents in an orderly fashion and get into their appropriate vehicles, but not my Judah! He is the one hanging from a tree, jumping into a mound of snow (with OUT his boots on of course), grabbing a limb, plant, etc. and sword-fighting with the wind and (my personal favorite) doing “The Worm” break-dancing move on the sidewalk while inching towards our awaiting car.  

Call it his creativeness, craziness or cool-ness but I have been totally cure-less for this dilemma!  Heart-to-heart talks, punishments, and rewards have been added to my list of options; then just as quickly crossed off as yet another fruitless attempt to get my son to walk those notorious twenty feet and-for PETE'S SAKE-just be NORMAL!!

It was during this infamous walk the other day that one of his teachers followed us out to share with me something that happened that day.  I listened with one ear while steam poured out of the other as, once again, Jude dive-bombed into the nearest pile of snow.  

“I just have to tell you how much I love that kid,”  She was saying while I grabbed at Judah’s hood and whispered “sweet nothings” in his ear in my (once again-FRUITLESS!!) attempt to redirect him to our idling vehicle.

“Oh, yes, I LOVE THIS KID TOO!”  I smiled...or maybe it was really a grimace.

“He just so blessed me today...” She continued and I nodded in agreement, he was really BLESSING me too at that moment!!  Covered head-to-toe in dirty snow, he glanced at me just long enough to flash me his toothy-grin but not long enough to catch the evil-mom-eye (you know that look: the YOU-ARE-IN-BIG-TROUBLE, KID-look!).

“He told me I have the prettiest eyes he ever saw and I just about bawled, it was so sweet.  He's so very sweet!!”

I was ready to bawl too right then but for a very different reason!  I stopped breathing fire long enough to take a deep breath and, in spite of that little snow-covered rascal standing before me...or more truthfully, because of him, I realized that I was one lucky momma.  I have been given a boy that the world sees as sweet, a kid that has blessed many people with his caring words and genuine hugs.  In my quest to help my children always be the best they can be, I’m pretty sure I get too focused on trying to smooth all their rough edges instead of celebrating the gifts God has wrapped up inside their hearts for a waiting world.  

This world won’t ever be the same now that Judah has left his footprint in the lives of his family, friends, teachers...and in the gardens and snow piles outside of his preschool class!!  In the same way, the world needs your precious boy or girl with their unique gifts and takes on life.  

Though it may be easier to see in our children the areas that need some refinement (or an extreme make-over to be more accurate sometimes!!), thankfully, the people their little lives touch see their dimpled smile, hear their sparkling laughter and feel their tender touches, and they are BLESSED!