spring clean

dear emily,

i just read every word of a blog's spring cleaning steps and promptly went
shoe shopping.   as i walked out with more than one pair,  i passed a young
man looking through his car window at me.   his mouth fell open, and i know
what he was thinking:  "thank the Lord, that is not MY wife!"

for some reason, he didn't think i could see him watching me, and it struck
my funny bone.   so i bent down and said, "ssssh!" . . . like, "don't tell my
husband."  i think he was way more embarrassed than i was about my shoes.

don't believe what they tell you:  it's pretty fun being a middle aged woman,
and spring cleaning isn't so bad, either.

love,
lea

"then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  john 8:32

you're 'ok' and my 'ok' are not the same

dear emily,

before you were even born, i'm ok, you're ok was published to many people's
delight.  i remember being 12 or 13 and listening to my parents discuss the
wonders of the book with my uncle jim.   he especially loved the idea of every-
one being ok.

after more time than i thought was ok,  i also remember thinking, "ok, ok, ok!
can someone please take me to the mall?"

this morning my husband and i were taking a bike ride through our fine city's
beautiful streets.   he would speed through intersections, saying, "you're ok!"
this, of course, meant that i didn't need to slow down but could safely sail
right across the intersecting street.

google image

halfway across, the angel on my right shoulder said, "you can trust him.    he
loves you."

the devil on my left shoulder said, "just take a peek."   sure enough there was
a truck too close for comfort, so i sped up a bit and arrived on the other side
in one piece.

i told him, "you're ok and MY ok are not the same."

love,
lea

"for My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways."
isaiah 55:8

bumper stickers

what is the deal with people who feel the need to put a gazillion
bumper stickers on their cars?   my response to the various ones
is completely dependent on my hunger.

google image

for instance, after a lovely walk at the river with one of my funny
friends, i will feel magnanimous toward the little white truck who
passes me.   if he then tells me to 'co-exist,' i will be more than
happy to do so.

if, however, i am an hour past my lunch hour and a red camaro
cuts in front of me at wendy's drive through, i will not be very
interested in 'co-existing.'  my temptation will be to tell him that
i really don't have a choice.   he has forced his existence on me
and made me wonder whether my existence is even on his radar.

what if, instead of on our cars, we had bumper stickers on our
'bumpers?'  most of them would probably read: "i exist for me."
mine might say, "no, i have not missed any meals."

what would you like your 'bumper' sticker to say?

love,
lea

"by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another."  john 13:35

dear emily,

last week hans and i visited our 'old' church, who was hosting a
missions' conference.  i was pretty nervous about our reception,
as we had not been there in many years.  our oldest was 12 when
we left, and he's almost 28 now.   i determine all time periods by
my kids' ages.

anyway, after the service i was overwhelmed by the exuberant
welcome from the 28-30 year olds.  it hadn't occurred to me that
the 'young' people would remember me.   i wasn't much older
than that when i last saw some of them.   my heart was full, and
my resolve to "let the little ones come to me" was strengthened.

children do not forget kindness.

if it seems that you are the mom who always has everyone else's
kids at your house . . . be grateful.   that is an awesome privilege.

love,
lea

ps.  "let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we
shall reap."  galatians 6:9

girl scout cookies

oh dear, you probably thought i was selling samoas.   sorry!

my intention was to let you in on one of my personal dilemmas.
last week my loving husband was lecturing sharing with me
his problem with the girl scouts.

how could anyone have a conflict with the girl scouts?"

i told him i was completely conflicted out on this matter, because i
had already sponsored a couple of chairs at our local girl scout fund
raiser, which his darling niece was 'chairing.'

what i didn't admit was that our freezer was filled with thin mints
and samoas.  

google image

anyway, after wise and precious husband instructed shared his
thoughts on the girls scouts, we were hanging out with our girl
scouts.  the youngest one, who had brought over girl scout cookies
to her father's dismay, scolded her big brother.

"hey, big guy, go easy on those thin mints!  they're not oreos."

love,
lea

"so whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
God's glory."  1 corinthians 10:31

things that are hard for me to do:

1.  eating my vegetables.

2.  putting someone else's needs before my own.

3.  forcing my 53 year old foot into a ski boot.

4.  looking away from the window when snow
     flakes are falling.

5.  praying . . . fervently.

6.  blowing my nose with my glasses on.

7.  learning a new trick.

8.  withstanding the temptation to compare myself
     with my friend who still runs marathons.


amen.


"to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to
present you before His glorious presence without
blame and with great joy . . . " jude 24

i was fired by merry maids

dear emily,

i know.   embarrassing, but, please hear my side.

i was the young mother of five active kids.  my loving husband
had built me a house that was too big for me to handle.  

the meals and laundry weren't too bad.  i managed to get my kids
to their basketball practices, ballet recitals, and piano lessons and
enjoy some mcdonald's french fries on the way.   i was only
homeschooling two kids by then . . . but the house was killing
me.

after a while, too long really, in desperation, i called merry maids,
who made my kitchen and bathrooms sparkle.  as the angels ladies
were limping out the door,  spraying some amazing scent out of  a
squirt bottle, i threw myself at the last one and grabbed her ankle,
crying, "please don't leave me here by myself!"

the next morning i had a notification in my mailbox saying the
merry maids would no longer be able to help me.

sheesh.   i felt like a desperate housewife.

love,
lea

"do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people
have entertained angels . . . "  hebrews 13:2