a cup of cold water

dear emily,

i just read margaret jones' witty and sensible posting on being sane and single. she has the spirit of jane austen in her!

in responding to your worries about being a wise and loving mommy to your four precious children, i have been prodded back to sweet days that i treasure. oh, to have one of my little ones bouncing on my knee again! thankfully, i occasionally have yours to fill that role.

hans used to tell me that i was a cup of cold water to our children. most days i felt like lukewarm dishwater! there was never an end to diapers to be changed, meals to be prepared, or knees to be bandaged and kissed. after falling into the rocker to nurse the baby, an older child would inevitably want me to read him a story or get him a cup of water.

that is when i felt the weakest and most impatient. i would lean into the
Lord and ask for strength and grace, and He would amply supply that
need. then we would settle into another chapter of "the fantastic mr. fox"
...and fill another cup of water.

and, of course, He would fill another cup for me, too.

matthew 10:42

'if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, i tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

lilies of the field

i have been encouraged to take a weekly sabbath rest from blogging,
and i like the idea.  in lieu of a new post, i will be re-posting an old
one.

lilies of the field . . .  october 31, 2009

when i was in highschool, all the kids listened to fleetwood mac, james taylor, or kenny loggins, but i idolized barbra streisand. it was so uncool that i didn't tell anyone besides my boyfriend, who promptly bought me four of her albums.

i, of course, married him.

i recently read a quote of barbra's, "i always wear the same thing at home. i can't be bothered with jewelry. my pants have elastic waists. i like to be comfortable." now she is totally my idol.

sometimes i'm afraid my kids will turn me into "what not to wear". stacy and clinton would have a field day with my uniform of sweat pants and oversized denim shirts.

there were only two hard and fast fashion rules in our home, modesty and well, modesty. shelby was the basketball trainer in highschool just as low rise jeans became popular. i told her that anytime i saw skin between her shirt and jeans at the basketball games, she would have to pay me two dollars. 

we didn't purchase expensive handbags, etc. for the girls, because it seemed foolish to allow them to think that fashion was that important. the boys, on the other hand, did wear 'michael jordans'. such a double standard!

when the kids were little, they mostly looked like little street urchins
from fagin's band of pick-pockets.    i sort of liked them that way.  

we wanted those little urchins to know that what you wear is less
important than what is in your heart.

matthew 6:28

'consider the lilies of the field, how they neither toil or spin, yet i tell
you, even solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.'

love,
lea