dear emily,

plane fare to the bahamas:  expensive

four days at atlantis on paradise island:  also expensive

the opportunity to laugh with dear friends . . .

and kiss a dolphin. . .

priceless.

"i was filled with delight day after day. . ." proverbs 8:30

love,
lea

a mother's prayers

dear emily,

one of my favorite authors is jan karon who wrote the
mitford series about a quaint little town nestled in the hills
of north carolina.  she is a retired advertising executive, so
her  prose is spare yet lovely.  her characters are quirky,
and their conversation is authentic and inspiring.

the most beloved is father tim, an episcopalian priest and
shepherd of the village, who loves to pray 'the prayer that
never fails', "Thy will be done."

when praying for my children, i search the bible for the
scriptures that seem most fitting for the situation.  then i
just insert my loved one's name.

for instance, if any are struggling with their future i might
pray, "Lord, please fulfill Your purpose for shelby and dan
. . . and please do not abandon the works of Your hands."
psalm  138:8

i believe so fervently in the power of God's word, that it
seems only natural to pray it.  more importantly, it protects
me from vain or selfish prayers that may have nothing to do
with His will or purpose.

love,
lea

my previous blunder

dear emily,

how to count my blunders?  in number or degree of
devastation?

my chronic disease contributes to most of them.  i have
OCDD. . . obsessive compulsive disposal disorder.

i have thrown away important bank slips, CHECKS, bills,
receipts, letters, magazines.  you name it, and i have
tossed it, to my family's constant dismay.

i have given away hans' favorite shirts, ties, suits, and
shoes.  now to my defense, favorite to him, means the
cuffs are frayed and the shoes no longer have soles.

i have left car windows down during thunderstorms and
bumped the car into the garage door so many times that
isaac jumped in front shouting, "no mom, don't do it! let
dad park it when he gets home."

but the worst blunder of all, the one that still makes me
want to empty the contents of my stomach, is difficult to
tell.  sunday had just finished her college application to
baylor.  i was so impressed by the eloquence of every
essay as i edited, at her request.

what she didn't request or could have imagined is that i
accidentally, unintentionally, inexplicably pushed the
delete button!

and do you know what she said to me?

"well, i guess i will just go to 'xyz' university."

what a lovely example that "His mercies are new every
morning. . . " even when i don't deserve them.
lamentations 3:21-23

love,
lea

ps.  i'm going to 'spring' away from my computer for a
few days.

saint patrick's day!

dear emily,

are the kids excited about saint patrick's day?  i used
to forget and get pinched to death at school, so this
is their 'green' warning.

i recently enjoyed stephen lawhead's patrick, son of
ireland, and now i know why all of ireland loves
him so!

did you realize the holiday has been celebrated for over
1,000 years?  apparently, the irish are allowed to suspend
their lenten restrictions for that one day to feast, dance,
and drink, not necessarily in that order.

saint patrick was born to wealthy parents but kidnapped
by irish raiders when only sixteen.  sadly, he spent the
next six years tending sheep in near solitude.

because of his terrible loneliness, he derived solace from
his faith and became a devout Christian.  it is believed
that he had at least two divine revelations: the first to
leave for britain and the second to then return to ireland
as a missionary.

it's interesting that upon his homecoming, he didn't try
to remove irish mysticism, but instead he assimilated
Christian life into their traditions.  he had bonfires at
easter and added the symbol of the sun to the cross,
making the celtic cross that we all know.

class dismissed!

love,
lea

". . . i have become all things to all men so that by all
possible means i might save some."  1 corinthians 9:22b

a leprechaun for sunday

dear emily,

we have been fervently praying for our daughter, sunday,
this term while she has been studying abroad, but we could
never have imagined the variety of ways the Lord would
show His love for her.

while spending a few extraordinary days on the canary
islands, she was splashed by a swimmer in the pool.

"i beg your pardon, my dear darling lassie!" said the
musical irish voice.

sunday was pleased to see the twinkly blue eyes that came
with the apology and assured him splashing didn't bother her
at all.  he remarked that she had a verra' american accent.

after an entertaining and amusing conversation, the elderly
irishman said, "good health to you and a pleasant sleep."

the next morning while enjoying her tropical fruit by the
seaside, she heard a now familiar voice asking,  "now,
would you be thinking me too forward if i asked to join
you for breakfast?"

seeing his book of mark, sunday exclaimed,  "i just was
reading in mark!"

"well now, and maybe i should be telling you, sure,  that
i just was saying a prayer for you in mass, wasn't i?"

as they were saying their farewells, he said, "the funny
thing about life is you often end up saying goodbye more
than once."

i wonder if he has a grandson her age?

love,
lea

"do not forget to offer hospitality to strangers...for through
it some have entertained angels."  hebrews 13:2

the emily goes to...

one of my angels gave me the best advice that i just cannot
seem to follow: "mom, you need to hold back on those posts
to once a week.  no one really wants to read more than that."

as karen says, "i love her like the daughter i had committed
against her will."

this is not a post but a tiny thank you to the lovely people
who have encouraged my pitiful attempts at logging.  ha!
Blogging.

to visit their gorgeous, witty, and reflective blogs, just look
for their comments in one of my past postings.  they each
visit and comment daily, for which i am very grateful.

margaret:  your witty and perceptive writing has inspired
each post i make.  you have easily earned the right to be
called my 'nanablog.'

vee:  i have learned a great deal from your magnanimous
and gently encouraging nature.  when you linked to me in
january it gave me the boost i needed to find my way.

joan elizabeth: you are my scarecrow, a woman of few
words, each deliberately chosen to express wisdom,
strength, and grace.

emily:  thank you for being such a Godly inspiration to
my girls and for your four (five) precious little ones who
we adore!

but the winner is:   HANS, who runs a standard & poor
500 company but believes i am doing the most important
job in the world.

who asks questions like, "did you read max's email, isaac's
text, shelby's application, sunday's paper, and hailey's
facebook message?"

. . .  and who never says, "no" to me.  :)

gratefully,
lea

"i have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering
you in my prayers."  ephesians 1:16

bridge

dear emily,

i have to warn you about something, and i don't really
know how to say this.

so, i'm just going to blurt it out!  because you're so smart
and will want to keep your brain facile and undemented,
at my age, you will probably play, ahem, bridge.

when i was a sweet, spry, lovely thing like you, i used to
smirk at the little, old ladies with hats and  gloves looking
primly at their cards.  "that's something i will never do!"

little did i know that counting  those tricks and conniving
to win lots of points to the cheers from the  stands would
be so fun.

not to mention bridge clothes!  we only allow prada,
chanel, and versace at our table.  the butler will not
give access to any flip-flops or sweatpants.

and here's the best part:  bridge food!  some folks only
come for the cuisine, but i am a purist and have played
with a solitary glass of water. . .  while i heaped  the
dainty cucumber sandwiches, fresh veggies, and bite
sized lemon tarts upon my wedgewood plate.

so sorry for the bad news,
lea

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