God is Good!

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting!" Psalm 107:1

Sophie suffered from major separation anxiety.  She was my first puppy that I got to live with, train, and raise all on my own.  She and I shared a very special bond, and after being together every day for over a month in our new apartment together, it was time for me to go back to work.  I was an 8^th grade science teacher at the time, and although I enjoyed my summers off, I also really enjoyed going back to school.  I loved teaching.  I loved my students.  I actually really enjoyed a routine.  But Sophie didn’t understand all of that.   All she knew was that her mommy was going to be gone!  She was so upset that she literally freaked out.  I came home one time to all of the linoleum ripped up in my bathroom.  On another occasion, I came home to the carpet in the hallway ripped up.  She had also ripped the bed skirt off of the bed, ripped my bed spread to pieces and tore my pillow into little pieces.  I couldn’t believe it when I walked in the door and saw stuffing and foam everywhere!   It was a good thing my landlord was very understanding.  My landlord was my brother.  I did have to pay for the repairs, but luckily, I didn’t get kicked out of the apartment.  I never knew what I was going to find when I walked in the door after a long day of teaching.  I will never forget the day I came home to shiny pieces of pastel foil all over the floor.  I panicked when I realized that she had gotten into the Easter candy.  I immediately called the veterinarian to find out if or when I should be worried because my 20 pound miniature schnauzer had just eaten 18 bite-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter cups—yes, I counted.  The vet said not to worry even though Sophie was breathing heavy and panting and her heart was racing.  I waited it out and once she had calmed down and was back to her normal fiesty self, I could laugh at the fact that not only did she eat all 18 of those chocolates, but then throughout the next several days, my yard started filling up with shiny, shimmery colorful bits in the piles of poop (from the foil wrappers if you didn’t figure that out).  It was quite lovely.  J

~Isn’t that how life is sometimes?  Sometimes in the midst of all of the crap we are going through, there will be tiny bits of glimmering hope!  There will be small moments of beauty or tidbits of laughter.  There will be small pieces of happiness or brief glimpses of joy.  The hope, beauty, laughter, happiness and joy all are coming from God.  The bible tells us in James 1:17 “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.”  This week, I pray that you will be overwhelmed by the goodness of God no matter what you’re going through right now.  No matter how difficult something is; no matter how long you’ve been struggling; no matter how hopeless, joyless, pointless, or confusing something is; no matter how much satan wants to lie to you to keep you down,  I pray that you will feel God’s love and know that God is good…all the time…period.  God is shining through in the midst of all the crap to show you that it’s never hopeless.  Praise God!  Thank you for always being good.  Please help us all to believe it!

The Fab 5

“A friend loves at all times…”  Proverbs 17:17

EIU Fab 5--"The Girls"

  They called us the Fab 5.  Well, no one really ever called us that.  Well, come to think of it, we never even called ourselves that.  Regardless, there were five of us—Elissa, Erin, Val, Stacey and myself.  Although some of us met in different ways and at different points in our lives, we all ended up going to the same college (Eastern Illinois University), living in the same dorm (Andrews Hall) and living on the same floor (3^rd), and that’s where all five of us became friends. 

Good 'Ole EIU

That was in 1992, so now we’ve all known each other for over 20 years!  Wow, I don’t feel that old.  Since graduating from college, we each went our own ways pursuing our own paths in life, and yet we’ve made it a priority to keep in touch--just the 5 of us.  In order to stay close and nurture our friendships, we decided that we were going to get together at least once a year.   With bachelorette parties, weddings, baby showers, girls’ weekends and our "just because" gatherings, we’ve done really well.  Sometimes we see each other more, sometimes less, but we always make it a point to see each other.  Why?  Because we value our friendships and we know how rare these types of friendships can be!



My Bachelorette Party

Elissa's Wedding

Four Aunts were born--Our first baby

 

When I'm with these girls, it's like time has stood still.  We have shared everything together!  I have never laughed so hard and I've never cried so hard from laughing so hard!  In the 20 years we’ve known each other, we have made some amazing memories and done some really crazy things---especially while in college.  My apologies if you knew us in college---I promise that we are all relatively normal today.  Some of my favorite memories from college with “the girls” are:  living at 1075 7^th Street,

1075---"If jerks could fly, 1075 would be an airport!"

“We’re stirring!  We’re stirring!”, watching Aladdin, ordering Jimmy Johns, ordering Dominoes, skipping class to watch 90210, just skipping class, going to class in pajamas, wearing slippers to class, having a guy on a horse at our 4^th of July party and Erin riding it down Lincoln Avenue (the busiest street in Charleston), making macaroni and cheese and forgetting to turn on the water to cook the noodles—“why are these noodles so crunchy?”, our couch, “George”, and our blanket, “Alfred”,  that stupid bunny poster, sitting on our porch swing,

"George" and "Alfred"--the best napping combo!

Yes, our porch swing was that high  up...it was awesome!

late night partying--I mean studying, roommate night outs, our spontaneous trip to Memphis, our quote wall, all the inside jokes, and I could go on and on.  I love each of these girls.  I love that they have seen me at my best and at my worst and love me anyway. In fact, I love this quote by Elbert Hubbard that says, “A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”  I love that each of them has moved on to do some incredible things with their lives.  I love that I have a special and different relationship with each of them.  I love that we have chosen to be a part of each other’s lives and that we are intentional about getting together no matter what obstacles are in the way. 

I am so grateful for these 5 friends as well as many amazing friends I’ve met along the way.  I am so thankful that God puts friends in our lives to encourage and to be encouraged by, to love and to be loved by, to grow with, to change with, to cry with, to be with, to laugh with.  God blesses our lives with friendships.  I love that in John 15:12-13 Jesus says,

 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” 

 Jesus values friendships.  Friendships have purpose.  Friendships have meaning.  Jesus tells us that friendships are important, so we need to nurture those friendships that are significant to us.

Who are your closest friends?  How do you let your friends know that you value them?  Do you take time out of your busy schedule to let your friends know how important they are to you?  This week, I pray that you will take the time to let a friend or two know what a blessing that they are in your life.  In this day of instant communication, there is no reason not to be able to accomplish this.  God puts these friends in our lives on purpose, for a purpose and for His purpose, so please take a minute right now to send them a note, a card, a phone call, a text, an email, a facebook message, a tweet, or all of the above and tell them how important they are to you and how thankful that you are that God has placed them in your life!  Thank God for friends!

Dedicated to my EIU girls!  Thank you for being my forever friends!  Thank you for the hilarious memories.  Thank you for loving me and being there for me no matter what.  I love you, girls!



I Choose You

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  Psalm 139:13-16

Sophie Sue

~The little runt squawked like a loud bird every time I picked her up!  I had my heart set on choosing the runt of the litter, but I began to have my doubts.  When our dog, Carlie, had her four miniature schnauzer puppies, I was getting ready to move into my own apartment which meant that I was going to get to raise one of the puppies on my own.  Well, as you can imagine, it was very difficult choosing one.  Carlie gave birth to three females and one male whose names were based on their size:  Big Guy, Big Girl, Medium Girl, and Little Girl.  Yes, I know, we were so creative.

From left to right:  Big Girl (Sophie), Medium Girl, Big Guy and Little Girl

I already had the name, Sophie, picked out so at least that narrowed it down to choosing from the three females.  I thought I knew that I was going to pick Little Girl because she was the runt, but the squawking sounds she made were incredibly obnoxious, so I decided to spend more time with Medium Girl and Big Girl.  They were both sweet, so now, I wasn’t sure.  Until one day when I picked up Big Girl.  I was holding her up to my face, and I was talking to her.  “Hi, sweet Big Girl!  Are you going to be my puppy?”  



Then, playfully, I spit my tongue out at her and she spit her tongue out right back at me!  I was amazed.  I did it again.  And she did it again.  It was then that I knew that she was the one.  She was my Sophie. 

The day Sophie spit her tongue out at me!

 I had no idea that this little puppy that I was holding was going to be my best friend.  I had no idea how much love I was going to have for her, and I had no idea how much I was going to learn from her.  I had no idea how grateful I would be for choosing that “Big Girl”!   

Years later, I read in a book that animals actually choose us; we don’t choose them like we think we do.  They choose us!  And that little puppy looking into my eyes; listening to me talk to her; watching me spit my tongue out at her; knew what she had to do because she wanted me to be hers!  Isn’t that an interesting way to look at that?

Here’s another interesting thought…God chooses us too!  We are all here on purpose… to do God’s purpose!  He chose the right sperm and the right egg when each one of us was conceived to make us exactly the way He wanted us to be.  He chose every little detail about us and, more importantly, He loves everything about us.  We are His creation and even though we beat ourselves up when we look in the mirror because we may not like something about ourselves, God made us that way and He loves us exactly the way we are!   Really, God?  Even the wrinkles? The stretch marks? The gray hair?  The pointy nose? Oh, sorry, just a little moment between me and God.  And do you know what He said?  “Yes!  I love you exactly the way you are!”  The bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 “…the Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

This week, I pray that you can accept yourself as you are and love yourself just as our Father made you---a beautiful, wonderful being!  In fact, right now, spit your tongue out at yourself in the mirror and say, “God, I know you chose me, so help me to choose myself exactly the way I am.  You made me.  You love me.  No matter what I think of myself at this very moment.  Help me to see what you see, Lord.  Help me to love myself exactly the way I am!  And help me to focus every day on what is in my heart and who you've made me to be.  And help me to live every day for Your purpose for my life.   In Jesus’ name!  Amen!"

Dedicated to "Little Girl", the runt, the squawking bird, Lucky, who I didn't end up choosing but my parents did.  Even though she was the runt who had seizures, never quit squawking like a bird when someone she didn't like picked her up (which was everyone but a select few), was paranoid and jumped in fear of everything, we loved her anyway.  In fact, Lucky ended up living longer than every puppy in that litter---surprisingly outliving Sophie by 5 years.  I was with Lucky at the very moment she was born and at the very moment she died.  Good bye, little Lucky!  We will miss you!

Sophie and Lucky--See?  You can just see the paranoid look on Lucky's face.



Sophie, Carlie (the momma) and Lucky



Only Trust Him

And those who know Your name

put their trust in You,
for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.  –Psalm 9:10

Again, it's exciting that www.christiandevotions.us used another one of my devotions on Sunday, September 16th.  Here it is in the original version.  

Sophie Playing in the Snow!  Even though her eyes were blind, they still saw love!

~ Even though she was blind, Sophie loved to run.  When our eight year old miniature schnauzer lost her sight due to diabetes, we were devastated!  We soon learned that we were more affected by her disability than she was.  Sophie adapted so well.  In fact, my husband and I noticed that she seemed to enjoy her life even more being blind than she ever did when she could see.  She would go on walks, and sometimes she would even start running!  A by-stander would have never thought she was a blind dog unless he watched long enough to see her knock into a tree as occasionally happened when I wasn’t paying close enough attention with the leash.  I would just say, “Sorry Sophs”.  She would turn and keep on running.   One time, she was trotting along behind our other schnauzer, Wrigley, and Wrigley stopped to sniff something.  Sophie kept running and bumped right into Wrigley’s butt.  Sophie really “laughed” at herself with an enthusiastic tail wag and then just kept on running.  She was so free when she ran, and despite the occasional tree bump, she trusted us so much.  When we were approaching a step or a curb, we would just say “step up” or “step down” and she would reach out her paw “feeling” for the step.  She was so amazing and inspiring.

~After she went blind, Sophie didn’t spend any time feeling sorry for herself.  Instead, she started enjoying life even more than she ever had!  She was more active.  She was more energetic.  I admired her so much, and I wanted to be more like her.  What about you?  How do you handle tough situations?  Could you be a little more like Sophie, too?  What about with the next challenge that you face, you go running free.  Seek God’s wisdom and trust that God has your leash and will guide you around the “trees” and around the “Wrigley’s butts” that you may encounter along the way!

A Homemade Lasagna Attitude

"What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted."  Proverbs 10:24

"Devil With the Blue Dress On"

We called her devil with a blue dress on.  My grandma knew how to have fun, though I have to admit it was a sad moment when I realized that my grandma was having more fun at a wedding than I was.  She was in her mid eighties.  I was in my mid twenties.  She had enjoyed several cocktails and was dancing the night away.  All the while, I was sitting at the table watching her.  She really started to boogey when “Devil with the Blue Dress On” by Mitch Ryder came on.  Suddenly, I started laughing.  First of all, I was laughing that I was sitting at the table while my grandma was getting down on the dance floor and secondly, I was laughing because she was wearing a blue dress!  The nickname was perfect. 

Even though that night, she was the "Devil with the Blue Dress On", she was actually a kind-hearted, Christian woman who never met a stranger.  But anyone that knew her would agree that she was one feisty lady.  She was stubborn.  She had opinions, and she was going to tell you exactly how she felt exactly when she felt it.  Because of her incredible stubbornness and my incredible stubbornness (hmmmm, I wonder where I got mine), she and I didn’t always get along, but I loved her. I always admired her love of sports, her ability to save money and yet be very generous, her genuine love of everyone—no matter their background, and especially her love and support of her family (she came to everything I was involved in).  Despite our often differing opinions and despite her need to point out everything that I did wrong, there were two things that she always complimented me on…my driving and my delicious lasagna.  Even though she only had my lasagna one time, she talked about that lasagna for ten years.  She told everyone that she met that it was the best lasagna she ever had!  It always made me feel so good and a little guilty.  Let me tell you a story about the best lasagna she ever had…

I was during my senior year at EIU.   I had the opportunity to live with my grandma for a semester when I did my student teaching.  It actually worked out for both of us because for some reason, I was assigned to do my student teaching in Danville even though I lived in Charleston (an hour and a half away).  My grandma had just lost my grandpa after being married and caring for him for over 60 years, so living in her little house in Champaign was the best solution and would cut my drive in half.  Plus, she would have someone to take care of again.  And she did.  She would leave a bowl, a spoon, a box of cereal and a juice glass out every morning for my breakfast before I had to leave.  She would have dinner ready in the evening and we would spend time together at night watching a tv show or two.  It was wonderful to get to spend more time with my grandma, but it made for a very busy life.  Every Friday that fall, I would pack a bag, kiss Grandma and drive down to Charleston.  I was on the dance team at Eastern and had to learn a dance routine to perform at halftime the next day since I would miss rehearsal all week due to student teaching in Danville (another reason that it made no sense that I was assigned to Danville).  I would perform at the game, go out with friends, get up Sunday and drive back up to Champaign only to have to get up the next morning and drive to Danville to student teach.  It was exhausting. 

That semester flew by with all the teaching, grading papers, lesson planning, driving, learning dance routines, performing, and more driving.  Soon, it was going to be my last night staying with grandma, and in appreciation for her hospitality that semester, I offered to make her dinner.  I was so grateful for her opening up her home to me, and while living with her, she and I both gained a new appreciation and respect for one another.  I wanted to treat her to my homemade lasagna, salad and garlic bread.  Unfortunately, that week leading up to my last night with her was incredibly busy with student teaching, dancing and driving that I didn’t have time to make her the lasagna, so, with my parents’ blessing, I gave myself permission to buy Stouffer’s frozen lasagna.  To me, the most important thing was for she and I to spend time together and enjoy our last night.  I had it all ready.  The garlic bread’s aroma filled the air.  The salad was incredibly colorful.  And the Stouffer’s lasagna actually looked and smelled homemade. 

I have to be confess here.   I didn’t tell her that it was Stouffer’s because I knew that she would automatically hate it without even trying it---she came from the generation that everything has to be made from scratch or it’s AWFUL!  I just didn’t say anything.  As delicious as it looked, I was very anxious for her to try it.  I just knew that she was going to know.  I was so nervous waiting for her to put that first bite in her mouth.  She LOVED it!  I couldn't believe it!

She loved it so much that she wouldn’t stop talking about it.   She went on and on, and I kept thinking that she just had to know, but she didn’t.  In fact, from that moment on, anyone that she talked to, she would tell them about the best lasagna that she ever tasted that her granddaughter made for her.  All I would say to her is “I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Grandma.”  For 10 years, that woman brought up how delicious my lasagna was and she never knew that it was a store bought lasagna!

Now, I’m sure you’re thinking…why would you not tell your little old grandma the truth?  You know what…you're right, I should have.  To be honest, it was such a rare thing to get such raving praise from grandma, that I didn't want to spoil it for either of us.  But it really made me realize how the mind is a funny thing.  Had she known that it was store-bought, she wouldn’t have enjoyed it.  And for 10 years, she would have complained that I made her the worst lasagna she ever had.   And trust me, (anyone who really knew my grandma would agree) she would have brought it up any chance she got.  But because she thought it was a homemade lasagna, she thought it was the best lasagna she ever tasted.  A delicious homemade lasagna was her expectation, so a delicious homemade lasagna was exactly what she tasted even though it wasn’t. 

Our expectations of people and things in our life can have a huge impact.  How we feel about a person beforehand can have an enormous effect on how we interact with that person.  “That woman is so rude”---all we will notice is her faults.  How we feel about a situation can have an enormous effect on how that situation goes.  “Church is so boring”----all we will notice is the downtime. “The kids are going to behave horribly”---all we will notice is the chaos.  

Our expectation of something or someone is powerful.  This week, I pray that you will be aware of your expectations.  Are you expecting the worst in every situation?  If so, I pray that God will give you a more positive outlook?  Are you expecting to see the flaws in people?   If so, I pray that God will give you the eyes to see them differently.  In every person and in every situation, I pray that you will have a homemade lasagna attitude.  I pray that you will expect the homemade lasagna and even though you may end up with the store-bought, you will be none the wiser and enjoy every bite just like my grandma!

To my Grandma who would have been 99 on October 4^th.  Grandma, we love you, and we miss you!