Did I mention that I LOVE rainy days?

I know the old saying, "April showers bring May flowers." Well it's May and the flowers are already up, so enough of this rain thing! Seriously! It seems like it has been raining non-stop for weeks now. So, a few weeks ago my driver's side windshield wiper broke. It was wiping away and then all of a sudden just flipped and was totally cockeyed! I've never seen anything like it before. I told my husband, who proceeded to just plop it back on. He used the vehicle the next day, which was rainy, and the windshield wiper was just fine. I get the vehicle back again the day after that, which was rainy, and the windshield wiper did the same flip thing again. This time I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix it myself. That didn't work so well. The whole wiper came off. So, now my wiper is laying in the seat next to me.

Following day, I have graduation for my work and am out late on a Friday night; once again it's raining. I hate driving at night, especially in the rain, and absolutely hate driving at night, in the rain without a windshield wiper. This is where my resourceful mind kicks in. I decide to take the windshield wiper (which is sitting next time), roll down my window and wipe the windshield with the wiper manually. Sorry, Dad (my driver's education instructor), I know that wasn't the safest thing to do, but...

The story continues. My husband "fixes" the wiper again after the last pathetic rain episode. IT BREAKS AGAIN, and is once again sitting in the seat next to me. Now, I failed to tell you how funny the wiper looks without the actual blade. It's like a little stub. So this time, I'm on my way home from work at it is absolutely pouring rain. I can't use the maual method I tried earlier, or I would be absolutely soaked. I resorted to putting my windshield wipers on regular speed, and just leaning over really far to the right to try to see out the passenger side which is being cleared. Once again, not a real safe thing to do. Then the little stub starts rubbing against the glass and making a horrific noise and scratching the window. I put my creative thinking to work again, and pushed the wiper away from the widow, like you would when you were cleaning the window. Now, I've got this stub of a wiper moving back and forth across the front of my window.

I'm beginning to lose my humor in this situation, and cursing myself for not getting it fixed. I finally made it home and decided to get the mail. I leaned over the passenger side and got MOST of the mail from the box. Wouldn't you know, a piece of mail drops to the ground. I look down, only to see a "river" of water running right under the mailbox with my letter right in the middle of the water. Did I mention that I LOVE rainy days?

Sibling Rivalry at its best!

I just had to share this Mother's Day card my kids/husband got for me. Just picture one of the little characters as Jordan and the other as Damon. This is my life...

Family Picture

I've posted a family picture for my pen pal from New Zealand. My email is really slow when I attache pictures, so this was the next best alternative. This pen pal and I have been corresponding since we were in high school over 15 years ago. We've kept in loose contact over the years. Despite living half a world apart, it's amazing how similar our lives really are!

A Table in the Presence

So, I'm rereading this book, A Table in the Presence--The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced GOD'S PRESENCE amidst the Chaos of THE WAR IN IRAQ by Lt. Carey H. Cash. I've read it before and loved it then, but recently was looking for a good read. Our pastor has been preaching on the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew for the last few months, and recently came to the passage on loving your enemies. Maybe that's what prompted me to pull this book out again. Or maybe it was the fact that my son's best friend's day is in Iraq on his 2nd tour, and I see on a weekly basis how his family is coping? Or maybe it was because several of our young teenage boys who have gone through the church youth group are now in Iraq serving our country? I could be the constant attention in the news and the high gas prices? Anyway... I wanted to highlight a few things that I found interesting.

This is a prayer taken from the official Marine Corps Field Devotional Book. "It is called 'My Morning Offering.'

O God, for another day, for another morning, for another minute, for another chance to live and serve You, I am truly grateful.

Do...this day free me:
from all fear of the future,
from all anxiety about tomorrow,
from all bitterness towards anyone,
from all cowardice in the face of danger,
from all laziness in the face of work,
from all failure before opportunity,
from all weakness when Your power is at hand.

But fill me
with Love that knows no barrier,
with Sympathy that reaches all,
with Courage that cannot be shaken,
with Faith strong enough for the darkness,
with Strength sufficient for my tasks,
with Loyalty to Your Kingdom's goal,
with Wisdom to meet life's complexities,
with Power to life me to You.
Be with me for another day, and use me as You will. Amen."

In a later section, he talks about the importance of communion on the battlefield. These are his words, "All around the naked reality of man's failure and evil intent is exposed. Every piece of rubble is a commentary, every stain of blood is an advertisement of the failed work of humanity. Communion is a bold contradiction, for within it lies a mystery suggesting that a different ending is possible for our world and for our lives. An ending that doesn't result in the death and destruction of the battlefield, but in the hope and the glory of the empty tomb."

Cash later goes on to contrast a difference between the Muslim religion and the Christian faith. To gain entrance into heaven as a Muslim you must continually adhere to a rigorous legal code of laws and rules and perform many good works. Some interpret martyring oneself the ultimate sacrifice and guarantee into heaven. Cash says this of Christianity, "it is not the grandeur of our sacrifice that earns us heaven. Jesus Christ has already accomplished the single greatest act of obedience and self-sacrifice that this world will ever know. He was the martyr. His death, nor our own, assures us of eternal life. His sacrifice, and no one else's, guarantees the promise of heaven."

To me, that just solidified what God had been teaching me through listening to Exodus and Leviticus. I am so thankful that are free, and do not have to earn our way to heaven by our good works or through adhering to a strict set of laws. Christ paid the way for each of us! Amen!

Turkey #2 for the season

I just posted a picture of my son's turkey, and my husband just bagged his own on Friday. Sorry I don't have a nice story to share with this one. I know he had to chase it down a hill after he shot it and came back all hot and sweaty! Here it is...

Back to the weed thing...

So, I'm still pondering what my friend said the other day about discovering what God is trying to teach you in everthing you do. Each day on my way to work, I listen to my audio Bible. I just finished the New Testament, and decided to go back to the beginning of the Old Testament. I enjoyed Genesis and the beginning of Exodus. But then all of the laws and rules began. All through the end of Exodus and into Leviticus. It was a struggle to focus and pay attention to what was being said. There is a zillion rules for everything under the sun! Rules on what you should sacrifice if you've done something wrong. Rules about what you can and can't eat. Rules when you are clean and unclean. So, I thought of what my friend said, and I began to think about how this could be applicable to my life today. I was truly enlightened once again. Now this isn't rocket science, nor is it a new revelation, but rather wonderful reminders of what a wonderful God we serve. Here's what I relearned:

1. Thank goodness we don't have to live by "the law" anymore. I would have been a very poor person, because I'd have sacrificed every animal I own for all of the sins I've committed. God showed me by taking so much time in spelling out all of the laws, how hopeless it would be to try to uphold each law He made. There is no way we can be perfect or righteous in His sight. All of this helps explain our need for a perfect Savior.
2. The sacrifices offered in the Old Testament needed to be perfect and spotless. Jesus is my perfect and blameless sacrifice for all of my sins. Wow! Try to wrap your hands around that concept! How can you not live your life out every day in an utter state of joy, because of what He did for each of us? Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! :)

A Matter of Perspective

So I was chatting with a friend of mine at work the other day. I shared how I had spent hours pulling weeds at the cabin where we live. I wouldn't quite call it complaining, but just expressing my dislike for weeding. :) On the contrary, she said that she actually liked to do landscaping and weeding. After I plainly told her she was crazy, she proceeded to tell me why. She said in everything she does, she tries to see what God might be teaching her. Not a bad idea. So, here's her take on pulling weeds. If we just break the tops off, the weed still comes back, right? Those are kind of like problems; if we just "break the top off" and don't really get to the heart of the issue, then the problems keep coming back. You can also think of the root analogy. The deeper the roots, the stronger the plant. It got me thinking about my roots being in God, and how deep my roots are. Am I strong and healthy with a deep root base? It's all just a matter of perspective...

Budding Artist?

So, we've always known that our youngest son liked the arts. He loves getting art supplies for gifts and is always creating something new out of whatever he can find. He takes pride in his drawings and creations. One day I came home from work and found this painting on my couch. I just assumed it was my youngest son who painted it. Much to my surprise, it was Jordan who created this in art class. I was quite impressed. He's never liked the arts, and I didn't know he was able to create something quite this impressive. This painting won some award and was displayed at one of the many art studios in town. Way to go Jor! (The picture looks better in real life, but this is a pretty good photo.)

Turkey

Here's a picture of the turkey my oldest son shot last month. He just seems to have all the luck and is in the right place at the right time. Dan & I were moving logs at a friend's house down the road. We dropped our two sons off in a field to go turkey hunting, and told them that we would be by every hour as we continued to move logs. Sure enough after the first load of logs, less than an hour later, Jor had his turkey. He set up his blind, and barely sat down before this gobbler walked up to his decoy. The rest is history...

Deer mount #2

Since I posted a picture of my son's deer mount, I figured I should do the same for my husband's first big buck. Jor's got nicknamed "Red," but we dont' have a name for this one yet.