Curls & girls. When I remember.

Only When I miss Mom

 

Every Month on the Calendar

January: my brother’s birthday

February: Valentine’s Day-she personified love

March: her brother’s birthday. my son’s birthday. my husband’s birthday.

April: Easter. Her special Lamb Cake, coloring eggs at the kitchen table with her

May: Mother’s Day, Her birthday. Her death day.

June: my son’s birthday. my anniversary. Dad’s birthday. Pa’s birthday.

July: my brother’s birthday. Gram’s birthday.

August: my birthday: hummingbird cake made with love

September: my oldest two brothers’ birthdays

Oct: her and Dad’s anniversary

Nov: Thanksgiving: Tom Turkey

Dec: Christmas, her favorite holiday and every memory thereof

What reminds me of  Mom?

Every Ordinary thing: 

babies

laun

dry

my nails

my hands

my curls

piggy toes

baking cakes

cleaning pans

Football games

Cooking dinner

Grocery store trips

Reaching for my purse

Any day I eat chocolate

School work with the kids

(I eat chocolate every day)

when my boys make me smile

Every single phone call from my family

My mirror, more & more I see her there

Most nights when my head hits the pillow

….every time my eyes open to see another day

As long as my memory works, I’ll think of my wonderful, beautiful Mom.

And, if I’m doing things even a little right, I’ll be half the amazing woman she always was.

 

Is it only me? What on earth am I suppose to be doing?

What on earth are we  doing?

What are we even suppose to be doing?
Can we really know ?

Thankfully, we can!  And, that is the reason for A Girl in the Middle

Maturity Takes Time

Titus 2 :3-5

In the same way, older woman are to be:

* reverent in behavior,

*not slanderers,

* not addicted to much wine.

They are to teach what is good  so they may encourage the young women to:

* love their husbands

*love their children

*be self-controlled

*be pure

* be homemakers

*be kind

*be submissive {gulp; I see ya!}  to their husbands,

WHY?

so that the word of God will not be slandered.

Friends, as Christians we find ourselves  living in a world not so different from what Paul saw happening in Crete when he penned this passage in Titus. There was ear -tickling, false doctrine and ungodly teaching abounding. But remember, Paul (Timothy, Titus…) didn’t have God’s Holy Word to hold and read. Paul made the trek with pen in hand and under the leadership of the Lord  by guidance of the Holy Spirit to set them straight. We’re wise to take heed.  With just a few sentences in  Titus 2,  Paul gives a wealth of information and instruction. To the older women, godly older women to be sure,  the Lord gives the directive to teach the younger women all that He’s laid out here.

Anyone who has known me for while will tell you “spunk” could have been part of my name in years past. Now, I have always been a seeker of truth, and I am always ready to stand up and defend  that truth; that’s not bad.  My mom tried her best to direct the immaturity she saw in my  fierce determination and veraciousness in life. Not until after years of growing would her training, and the Lord’s changing, manifest a more lovingly and meek spirit through me. Ah, if only my younger whipper-snapper self would have known to simmer down.  Or even have wanted to!  I didn’t. {Pride is a hard nut to crack!}  I’ll still stand for God’s Word and His truth, for sure, but He has shown me what is required of me {Micah 6:8  Do Justly, Love Mercy & Walk Humbly with my Lord}.  It’s not a mistake, and it is no surprise, the Lord charges the older women with these things.  You see, maturity takes time.

Not only do we see who the Lord chooses to use in this feet, designed by God Himself,   we see what she is to do: teach.   Teach them.  It goes without saying but not without noting, if something needs to be taught we can confidently assert there’s something to be learned. And this something comes straight from the Lord. Exciting!

We’re all learning.  Our world is sending us its version of womanhood all the time!  Next time the computer flashes an ad, the  TV  is on or you’re near a magazine rack, notice the message:  The synonym triplets: prettier, sexier & fitter -the standard of beauty in an unhealthy, unattainable and photoshopped lie. It continues:  healthier, richer, calmer, hottest fashion, amazing hair, best makeup, flat abs, hot body secrets, success at the top, better job, more money, new car, date, don’t to date, what  your husband should do and not, what to drink, where to eat…the once whispers in our ears have escalated to an audible roar.  A dangerous roar permeating from every side..

BUT, God’s truth for women is right here in these verses. Where’s our calling? What’s best for our lives? How can we spend our time and be sure we are following God’s will? What does it take for us to be pleasing to the Lord?

titus2

God is speaking of intentional teaching and with specifics in the standards we women are to align our “successes.”  Are we surrounding our selves with holiness? Are we guarding our hearts? Are we learning to live the things God desires of us? Or, are we confused, disorganized, lumbering through life bouncing between moments of our day without any real idea of how to do this life we’re in the midst of just trying to stay afloat? That’s not God’s way. Let’s seek Him and change…let’s become the women God wants us to be right where our circumstances find us today.

To have you here is humbling; life is busy, and we all have our challenges.

Together around the Lord and His word  is encouraging.

Thanks for coming and thanks for staying!

I’m excited to be in your  company:

Women living faithfully, imperfectly.

Beautiful

If  not the sea

may I still know

there’s  beauty to behold.

  a messy life

may try to lie

choose beauty, O my soul.

                                                                                                                                    ~Tamara Henion

 

Join  me  for panning beauty  in the middle of all those things mentioned here.

Women living faithfully because the world is hard, but God is good! 

 

 

 

Faithful

faithful

I Met a Man

I met a man. He drove a midnight blue ’87 Mazda 626. Maybe I wasn’t the first girl to ride shot-gun , but I would be the last girl sitting next to him for the first time. Forever.  Like any great young love story,  there are many wonderful memories from time spent in that car (none of which, I can presume,  will be making any shades of grey script-just in case you were wondering),  but I do have one I need to share with you.

It was there, hanging from the review mirror. It was always there. It wasn’t shiny, or smooth, or really even pretty and though he wasn’t the high fashionable type anyway (he will disagree), it was long before patina would be en vogue.  But there it was swinging around every time we’d get in the car..  Even some 3 decades later  I am still learning what that small and consistent token would mean.    His story isn’t mine to tell, but his faith is now part of me.  This rusty ole’ cross symbolized a changed life, a drastically changed life.  The Bible tells us when we are in Christ He makes all things new.

2 Cor 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.

About the time I was growing ever closer to the Lord and  heading college, a couple hundred miles away this guy, who I didn’t know existed, would soon realize how wide and deep ALL THINGS were in his life.  As an adult, he’d followed footsteps of the world never hearing of Jesus Christ. In fact, he has shared many times of the two teenagers  who wore  denim jackets and sat in front of him daily, on each jacket in fine 1970’s form was embroidered a fist with its index finger raised as #1 with “Jesus” next to it, but neither the guy or girl ever talked to him about the Lord.  Like so many children, he was growing up in a home without the Lord, without a lot of good things, and with some pretty tough ordinary things.

What if we just share the Lord with those next to us?

In the nutshell of my husband’s story we find a life completely changed-not by doctors, prescriptions or psychiatrists, but by Jesus Christ. The very moment he found the Lord, repented of his sinful life and chose to follow Him, his life changed and it changed in every way.  If you are  married you have probably realized marriage will teach you things about yourself you never knew existed.  Nearly thirty years of marriage and I’m sure to have witnessed more of my husband (and myself) than anyone else has on this earth. There are two irrefutable things: he’s the most loyal diligent, industrious, & conscientious employee to be found, and  as a man of God-  he is faithful.  Not at any time, day or moment has he ever  questioned or doubted the Lord in his own life. Not once.   I’m not sure I can say that about my own faith; I remember as a younger child praying my grandfather would get better, and then he died. I didn’t then understand prayers are sometimes answered  in ways we aren’t looking for and don’t understand. Maybe at that time I questioned the answerer rather than the answer and maybe at other times, I just questioned. But not my husband.

Can you relate to what I’m saying?

God has taught me so much.  This man the Lord has given me has taught me so much. Not the least of this is  faith. I’ve been praying often about this blog and what I want to share of my life with you, and as I was cleaning through some things I found his cross. It always stirs so many thoughts and memories, and usually a prompting to check my own heart: God has been faithful to me. He’s only been faithful, and He has always been faithful.  That is what I’m here to share with you: God is faithful. In every one of my ordinary or less than ordinary moments in life; He is faithful. That will never change

Malachi 3:6

I am the Lord God, I never change.

It’s a good time for a loving reminder, rather than spending our lives chasing (fleeting) success,

we are called to  live faithfully.

Women living faithfully, imperfectly.

Because the world is hard, but God is good.

How about looking at your own life; do you see God’s faithfulness?  I would love to hear!

Thanks for sharing life with me.

 

 

Personal

 

The 1 Dream You Dare Not Dream

For a moment, lose yourself in ‘that place.’ Your cozy bed, a tropical bungalow, the top of a mountain, a library corner, a sweet coffee shop, a ball game in a huge stadium, a favorite star’s concert (your own bathroom in privacy & secret)?   Where would you be right now if you were in your favorite place?

That’s me walking along the ocean. It’s simply my calm.  Even with a million things going on around me I find  everything the ocean offers to be a soothing balm to my being.  Here I think without interruption. I think of things that may come and things gone by, I think of my here and now with the fresh perspective and in light of the Creator of this incredible sea (of me), and soon my thoughts inevitably  turn to hidden hopes and dreams -even the one I dare not dream when pounded with life’s normal urgencies.

 When’s the last time you caught yourself dreaming? What do you dream about?

I mentioned here about taking heart notes as friends, family and even strangers found themselves in what I viewed as impossible circumstances. Definitely, I am an empathizer and I feel closely, but some how I think I was also  being hopeful *I* would escape such trials… if I would just learn from someone else’s pain. That’s not exactly what scripture teaches us though.  Our lives have purpose. A divine purpose-even through the hard stuff & trials.

2 Cor 1:4

He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction through the same comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Dreaming is great!  Can you imagine what the Lord has in store for you in this lifetime? What is that nudge you keep hearing from Him? Is there a reason you haven’t acted upon it? God calls us to be faithful. Somethings we know that we know that we know, because of His Word. Be certain, the Lord will NEVER contradict His own word.  Some things don’t need praying over, they just need a response of obedience.  But dreams? Psalms says the Lord wants to give us the desires of our heart, do you even know what that is?  HE is that personal to YOU. He wants to hear from you and He wants to guide your life, according to His will, in every step He’s

Psalm 37:4

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Would you believe, do you know, the Lord is Lord of all and yet a very real and personal Savior to all who know Him? We can be free to follow Him in our lives and yet dream our dreams. He’s trustworthy with your hopes and your heart, and He’s trustworthy with mine.  That’s what I’m here to share with you.

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

From dreams to strife, our Lord is present and He is personal. He’s in the joys and the hardships, and for those of us who love the Lord,  He wants to use them for good in our lives (Rm 8:28), AND He wants to use them for good through our lives (2 Cor 1:4).

What have you gone through for which you think serves no purpose?

What are you dreaming about?

Let me know…let HIM know!

For women at home

MASTER OF THE SEAPEACEHe still calms storms

He calmed the storm to a

whisper, and the waves of the

sea were hushed.

Psalm 107:29

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