tornadoes create strange bedfellows

dear emily,

people outside oklahoma are always surpised at our cavalier attitude toward
tornadoes.   we're as accustomed to them whirling about as the azaleas
blooming each spring.  still, they provide some interesting situations.   an
adorable young woman recently told me this tornado story.

she and her husband hired a young man to pull some weeds from  their yard
to help him raise funds for a mission trip.   unfortunately, as he was working,
a three block wide tornado tore through their town, skipping from house to
house.   the sirens sounded, and the little bride urged the young man into
their inner closet.

that is what we do in oklahoma.

after they shut themselves in, the poor girl realized that she had barricaded
herself in a closet with another man.

it could have been worse.    many people dive for the bathtubs.

love,
lea

"but even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed."
1 peter 3:14

as i walked by the huge reflective windows of a parked car, i thought,
"can i do it?"   i hate that i'm drawn to want to check my appearance, so
i set my eyes like steel away from the window and walked on by.

these are the kind of neurotic thoughts that float through my wobbly
brain.   beyond that, then i wonderered, "is it worse to look or not to
look?" . . . and then discover hours later that, yes, indeed, my hair was
sticking out all over the place like a dandelion.

google image

i read a hilarious facebook post today.   the zesty writer explained that
she slathered her face with a new sample foundation without a helpful
mirror.   later,  when she did look, her face was as white as a geisha
girl's.   not really the 'look' she was going for.

to look or not to look, that is the question.

love,
lea

"now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face."  1 corinthians 13:12

jackson at the opera

my family has a sweet, little westie named jackson, who loves to lay beside
our grand piano whenever any of us are singing.   he sleeps peacefully even
when i am vocalizing.  every now and then, he will raise an eyebrow as if to
say, "a little out of your range, don't you think?"

jackson, not under piano  :)

a few years ago, we were asked to host a famous tenor in our living room
for a concert.  i was a bit nervous about the preparations (removing all the
furniture, tuning the piano, valet parkers, etc.)  mostly i was anxious that
hans was going to be out of town.

at least i had jackson for support.   the house sparkled, the candles flickered,
and the flowers smelled lovely.   every seat was filled with expectant opera
lovers.   as the accompanist began the intro, i spied jackson curled up beneath
the piano.   in horror, i trotted up in front of all 100 guests and swooped him
up and out.

the next morning there was a blurb in the paper about the most important
guest not being in attendance.   we thought they meant hans . . . but no, they
wrote, "jackson didn't get to attend the concert."

love,
lea

"make a joyful noise unto the Lord."  psalm 100

resolute: admirably purposeful, determined, unwavering

dear emily,

good friday is a tough thing to say.   my heart wants to change it to
black friday or sad friday.   my mind has to remind it every year that
we are not rejoicing over our Lord's suffering but giving Him its value.

it was good that the Lamb lay His life down for us.    He was "the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (rev. 13:8)  i just can
not wrap my head around that.   from the beginning?  a sacrifice that
spans time or creation?

before He created the light, separated the waters, made the animals,
vegetation, adam, and eve, " God saw that it was good."  before
that He knew that His Son would be slain for His creation?

He was resolved to die.   i  am resolved to try and understand . . . but
when i still can't, i am resolved to be eternally grateful.

and He is risen and coming again,
lea

the head or the neck

dear emily,

it is not fashionable these days to be submissive to one's husband.  when i
was a young bride, some of us believed that if we honored our mates, and
they loved us as Christ loves His church, we would be very happy.

i was wondering, if i ask hans to lead the way down a path, who is the boss?
him, for leading?  or me, for asking him to lead?  how much does this even
matter?  we're taking a hike through our lives together.

then, i remembered the hilarious scene from my big, fat, greek wedding in
which the mother tells her daughter (aunt nodding in affirmation), "your
father may be the head of the family, but i am the neck that turns the head."

google image

not many people say, "she has a beautiful head," but, i have heard,
"she has such a lovely neck."

not about me, of course.

if i were to give a young bride and groom advice, it would be for them
both to be mutually submissive to each other in love, honor, and trust-
worthiness.

love,
lea

"finally, live in harmony with one another;  be sympathetic, love as
brothers, be compassionate and humble.  do not repay evil with evil
or insult with insult, but with blessing."  1 peter 3:8,9

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