and the winner is . . .

. . . sonja!  i did a random drawing of names of those who voted
and left encouraging comments for sunday lane and am so happy
that my sweet friend from bit and pieces won.  she has become
dear to me these past few months, encouraging me with such kind
wisdom.

this fragrance and atomizer from 'creed' is apparently the hottest
item these days.  i wouldn't know, because i'm a 'joy' girl and
never venture to the perfume counter for myself.

i know i have tried the patience of all my friends over this dream
of my daughter's and i feel badly about that.  it is usually difficult
for me to ask favors.   mostly, though, i am thankful to those who
didn't care that i became THAT mom and supported us regardless.

a panel of judges will now decide from the top 20 bands who will
open for the 'hansons' concert.  nothing more for us to do.  don't
be afraid to come over here anymore.  :)

and you can bet that from now on i will be responding to any of
your pleas for help, should the need arise.

"a thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of
all other virtues." -cicero

"i thank my God every time i remember you."  philippians 1:5

love,
lea

a blessing of a funeral

dear emily,

have you heard of the movie, "the wedding singer?"  well, i guess
i am the 'funeral singer.'  i know, pretty heady stuff.  yesterday i
sang at the funeral of an 87 year old lady i have never met.  her
photograph was of much younger days, so i still don't even know
what she looked like, but she has enhanced my life.

to hear others speak of her fervency to help those less fortunate
and of her devotion to her Maker encouraged me to press on and
continue my race.

my friend, annie, has a special prayer for seriously ill friends and
family. "Lord, please let them live out the fullness of their days
and not allow one day to be cut short."

that always reminds me of the passage from psalm 91:14-16.
" 'because he loves Me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name.
he will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
with long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.' "

the sweet 87 year old lady certainly lived out the fullness of
her days, and that is now a renewed goal of mine.

love,
lea

ps.  only one more day to vote for sunday lane!

sunday lane did it! i mean YOU did it!!

how can i express my gratitude to my precious friends and family,
who have endured sore fingers and computer headaches on my
daughter sunday lane's behalf?

"there is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed.  if it is unexpressed,
it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude."  -robert brault

this is what i would love to give to show my gratitude.

but, alas, this wee bottle of perfume from saks is all a can afford.                              

hans drew londen's name from all those who helped

give sunday lane this marvelous opportunity.

if anyone wants to progress with us through the finals, it is easier 

than ever now.  only 10 bands left,  only 45 chances to vote.  it

took me 10 minutes to listen to each band for 15 seconds and to

vote between them.  be sure to always put sunday in the very best

spot, and choose the ones you like the best after her.  :)

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR SUNDAY LANE

please let me know if you vote, because i am planning something

special to show my gratitude to those who leave encouraging

comments and those who actually vote.

THANK YOU.

"i thank my God every time i remember you." philippians 1:3

love,

lea

the semifinals!!!

dear sweet blog friends,

thank you for persevering with us through this songwriting
contest.

the next voting period ends at 11:00 pm, sunday, june 27th.
they are also limiting the voting time to cycle through each
band a few times, so no more sore fingers.

unfortunately, the other bands are well established with lots
of fans.  since, SUNDAY LANE is new to the scene, she
basically just has family and friends.

as you can deduce, we are really outnumbered now.  sort of
like david and goliath.

BUT, i love a challenge and have the best friends in the
world!!!

if you want to continue to help SUNDAY LANE, click
here, listen to each of the remaining 20 bands for 15 seconds
and vote.  it will only take about 15 minutes.

please let me know if you vote, because i am praying about a
way to show my gratitude.

"for You make me glad by Your deeds, o Lord; i sing for joy
at the works of Your hands.  how great are Your works, o
Lord, how profound Your thoughts."  psalm 92:5

love,
lea

sunday lane is #1

i'm so proud of my sweet girl for rising up from the lower
ranks to the #1 spot.  if she stays at the top, she will have
the opportunity to 'open' for the hanson's august concert.

just click here and then click on 'standings' to see her
exciting progress!

this would be such a wonderful break for her to achieve
her dream.  i'm all about helping my children pursue and
enjoy their dreams.

"for You have been my hope, oh sovereign Lord, my
confidence since my youth."  psalm 71:5

thank you to everyone, especially my cousin steve, who
has helped vote her in!  let's pray that she "won't go back
down!!!!"

love,
lea

mother teresa

one of my favorite mother teresa quotes leads right into my life
verse, which is my sweet friend annie's most beloved scripture,
too.  she has a humble servant's heart like mother teresa.

"we can do no great things only small things with great love."
-mother teresa

"my heart is not proud, o Lord, my eyes are not haughty;

i do not concern myself with great matters or things too
wonderful for me.

but i have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

o israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."
-psalm 131

what's your favorite scripture?

love,
lea

the oil and perfume of a friendship

yesterday's service was redolent with memories of sweet yesterdays with
my childhood best friend.

we became 'bosom buddies' the summer before fifth grade and proceeded
to laugh, cry, and sing our way through high school.   her friendship kept
me on a safe path that lead to many hilarious and sweet adventures.

even though we took divergent roads after that, today, i still sometimes
call her my best friend.  she is the friend who understands my past,
believes in me,  has forgiven me many times, and accepts me just the
way i am.

so . . . yesterday, she preached, at my church, one of the finest sermons
on the Holy Spirit.  she shared that when Jesus described Him to
nicodemus, He said the Spirit was like the wind, which "blows
wherever it pleases.  you can hear its sound, but you cannot tell
where it comes from or where it is going."  (john 3:9)

we are reluctant to believe in what we can't see.  it is offensive to
admit that "since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-
His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made." (romans 1:20)

a velvety red rose, a nightingale's song, a baby's smile, "the oil and
perfume of a sweet friendship." (proverbs 27:9)

love,
lea

take #28,973 on the oil spill

when i wrote 'to spank or not to spank' i went to bed with a sleep
chasing foreboding.  i think this piece is the one that will exile me
from blogland, though.

after the catastrophic '95 oklahoma city bombing, the desolation of
innocent life was boundless.  we could not wrap our minds around
the idea of retribution against babies and young children.

we heard heroic stories of the rescue dogs looking for victims, who
became so easily disheartened that their trainers would have to hide
their buddies in the rubble to be found.  this bolstered the dogs' hope.

emergency workers came from all over our great nation to help 'dig'
our state out of its misery.  these wonderful men and women were
greeted with the best 'chicken fry', apple pie, and hot coffee, saying,
in turn, that they had never met kinder, more grateful people.

we were very grateful.  i don't remember hearing bitter judgments
being shouted, but we certainly wanted justice, and after too many
years, the perpetrators received it.

this bp oil spill is different.

no one intentionally sought to hurt anyone.  unfortunately, too many
bad decisions were made, and now our gulf has been polluted.  the
loss of life, the inability of fisherman or even oilmen to work, and
the consequences to our lovely gulf are all devastating.

how did this happen?

one poor decision after another.  just like the ones i make everyday.
some of mine can have terrible consequences, too, by inadvertently
hurting those i love or don't even know.  have they ever caused the
desolation of an entire ecosystem?  probably not, but i would not
be one bit surprised if they did.

i can understand the outcry against the oil industry by our country
and the world but not by those who have been saved by His grace.
"there but for the grace of God, go i."  (john bradford)

love,
lea

ps.  on a much more serious note,  sunday lane is #5!!!!

a time for everything

in the past six months i have felt an increasing force nudging itself
upon me.  that sounds uncomfortable, like childbirth, but it only
feels like the gentle squeezes of braxton hicks.

in becoming the mother of five children, i think i tucked away part
of myself.  it was not that i was diminished by it, because i was really
enlarged by every moment, but more that i adapted to it . . . a lot.
sort of like a chameleon.

some of my friends resisted that and persevered in their unique ways.
they didn't let james dobson or mary pride mold them into a certain
kind of mother.  they paid a price for that in having more unruly kids,
but held onto themselves better.

the funny thing is that their wild and crazy kids grew into fine adults,
and i think they might respect their moms more for adhering to their
true natures.  but that's not really the point.  the crux is now that my
kids don't need me as much, i have felt these subtle urgings to spread
my wings a bit and notice the subtleties of life more.

this morning as i sowed some cosmo seeds in my garden, i felt the
soft breeze on my cheek and the warm soil in my fingers.   i broke
an egg into the mixer and marveled at its rich, yellow yolk.  i can't
seem to read a book without underlining rich similes  or metaphors.

for those of you sending a child off to college, be encouraged that
your life is not over.  you are feeling the deep pain of uprooting,
but there will still be many times to build, gather, and laugh.

"there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity
under heaven."  ecclesiastes 3:1

love,
lea

ps.  sunday lane is holding steady at #8!

sunday lane is at # 10!!!!!

thanks to all my sweet friends who have persevered through
the horrible, arduous voting process!

emily, you have been such an angel!!!

she's #10!!!!!

"but let all who take refuge in You be glad!!!"
psalm 5:11

love,
lea

ps.  if anyone else wants to jump in, click on the link in the
previous post,  go to 'judge', click on 'head to head', vote
for every band as the 'same', but "sunday lane" as 'by far
the best'.  if your conscience smites you, just listen to the
other bands.

she's 'by far the best.'  :)

at some point you will have to register your name and a
password.

please help sunday lane!

this is a shameless mother's desperate attempt to help my daughter,
sunday lane.  she has entered the hanson 'shout it out' songwriting
contest . . . late.

this puts her at a huge disadvantage, but she has already climbed
to #36.  would you please consider clicking the above link and
voting for her . . . as many times as you like?  once you are at the
site, click 'judge'.

then you have to drag each song over, lock vote, and continue until
you get to her grouping.  be sure to drag her to the top before filling
in the other spots, and then you're done.  occasionally, you may have
to listen to a song for 15 seconds.  just click the band, watch the clock
and then drag the band over. (sorry!)

her name is sunday lane and her song is "won't back down."

i am in your debt.  thank you.

love,
lea

"i thank my God always concerning you . . ."  1 corinthians 1:4a

oh, boo!

my mother in law is one of our fair city's most beloved women.   she
is gracious and kind to every person she meets and always remembers
their name.  even though the rest of the community calls her husband,
'mr. h.', she is known to everyone as 'peg.'

and when i say everyone, i mean the grocery clerks, the waitresses at
olive garden, the gas attendants at texaco, the teachers at the local
elementary school, and every employee in her husband's company.

her beauty is legendary, her charm is remarkable, but her skill in
extracting money from local business men is extraordinary.  in one
year she raised about $2,000,000 for our flailing local libraries by
frying up bacon, baking homemade pecan rolls, and pleading with
those helpless men for their dollars.

she is a woman of great faith and wisdom.  having been in her
sunday school classes, i can attest to her understanding and love
of the scriptures and her Saviour.   having been her daughter in
law for almost 30 years, i can speak of her kindness and grace.

one of my favorite 'peg' traits, though,  is her humility.  recently,
she made one of her delicious soups, but when we tried to praise
her, she said what she always says, "oh boo!"

"humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth, honor, and life."
proverbs 22:4

love,
lea

little boys

dear emily,

don't you just adore little boys?

there is something about their carefree, ornery zest for life that just
slays me.  i love that you let your boys get as dirty as they need to be
in order to play as hard as they want.

nothing is more winsome than a dirt-smudged smile and an excited
high-pitched voice saying, "mommy, look what i found for you!"
it's also a little scary.  a flower from your neighbor's garden or a
snake from the creek?

my boys would watch for their daddy to return home each evening
and tackle him at the door.  no matter how hard the day, he would
throw them over his shoulder and hurl them onto the couch.  this
was the signal for "chinese team", a bizarre and mysterious game
that involved lots of running, wrestling, and hilarious shrieking.

their natures are wired to hunt, gather, and protect, and  i'm not sure
if "chinese team" taught them much about those things, but they had
to be a little bit tough to play it.

we don't know what the Lord has planned for our sons, but we can
prepare them for most anything by teaching them that He loves them
even more  than their own father does and that He will equip them
for any task for which He calls them.  we can pray that they will be
valiant and courageous, with hearts turned toward Him and wills bent
to obey.

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and
stand before Me in the gap . . ." ezekiel 22:30

love,
lea

ps.  i am reposting an old piece to participate in "sabbath rest."

our live oak tree

there are many wonderful stories about our ten acre wood, but one of
my favorites is the travels of our giant live oak tree.

live oaks are prized in the south for their massive spreading crowns to
bring coveted shade in the long, hot summers and lovely evergreen
leaves throughout the winter.

hans' grandfather desperately wanted one for his property, but he lived
too far north for a live oak to survive.  so, he did the reasonable thing
. . . by planting it 150 miles north of houston on a willing farmer's field.

he then repeated the 150 mile trek northward every three years, until
the lovely tree came to its final resting, i mean growing place.

isn't that a romantic effort to bless the next three generations?

"they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord."
isaiah 61:3

love,
lea

blue skies

                                          blue skies ABOVE

                                                 
                                                 clouds ALL puffy

                      


                                      with THESE THINGS called dreams.

                                                        we PUT ON our hearts

the strength to LOVE.   (colossians 3:14)

love,
lea

ps.  please visit joyce to see other pretty pictures.

drunk on my kids

one of my character flaws is my tendency to get my feelings
hurt too easily.  now that my children are young adults with
strong characters and clever opinions, i have tried to laugh at
myself more than wear my feelings on my sleeve.

in fact, i laugh so often with them, that i now consider them a
tonic or a good stiff drink . . .

they don't let me drive them places, because frequently i get the
giggles so bad that i am not a safe driver.

hans will call, and i will not be able to talk coherently.

"are you with the kids?"

giggles.

"are you inebriated on them again?"

snort.

"ARE YOU DRIVING?"

gasp.

he will then call one of the girls to make sure they are
driving.  

embarrassing.

"she can laugh at the days to come."  proverbs 31:25b

love,
lea

moonlight farewell

the orchestra serenaded us with 'moonlight sonata', the soft glow
of candlelight winked at us, and the delicate pink dogwood
branches bowed to us from tall crystal vases.

excited conversation peppered the ballroom like champagne
bubbles, for this was a joyous occasion celebrating the season's
young debutantes.  the two most precious ones belonged to us.

my brother in law bemoaned the fleeting childhood of our daughters,
and i took a sip of water to give myself a moment to blink back hot
tears.  one minute, we are their world, and the next, the world is their
oyster. . . and we are just the sand.

having passed through this valley four times before, though, i tried to
comfort us both with the knowledge that while the pulling away is
painful, it makes the reunion sweeter.

love,
lea

"do not hide your face from me when i am in distress."
psalm 102:2