Memory Lane

My family is in town this weekend. Yesterday I had breakfast with Mom and one of my dear friends. We started swapping childhood stories about road trips. We talked about the games we used to play (I Spy, License Plate from Every State, Count the VW Bugs). Did anyone else play those?

My brother and I also played "The Cow Game". In this game you got one point for each cow on your side of the car. But if you passed a cemetery on your side, all the cows died and you had to start over. My brother also liked to play the "Hey, Cow!" game. This consisted of yelling out of the window at the cows. You got a point for every cow that looked your way in response.

At the time, my brother and I were usually just concerned about how long it would take to get there. I remember my Mom coming up with a system to help us understand the length of time in our terms. She would say, "It's only one Mr. Rogers and two Sesame Streets (two and a half hours)."

Years have gone by and a lot has changed, but one thing remains the same from those road trip days. I still often find myself asking, "How long until we get there?" Today that question is usually directed toward God when I get impatient and wish I could skip the journey to wherever He's taking me.

But years from now I'll probably look back and say the same thing I do when I think about those long hours spent in that big van with the people I love, "Thank you, God, for every mile we traveled together."

Every family seems to have road trip stories. Every family also seems to have those random family portraits that no one has looked at for twenty years. So here's me and my road trip posse--Dad, Mom, and little brother Stephen. Look now before they make me take it down.

Over the river and through the woods...

...to Grandmother's house I go!

I'm visiting my Grandma and Grandpa in a town about an hour away this weekend. My Mom and Dad will also be there. They live in Texas where I grew up.

My grandparents are amazing. They got married when my Grandma was only fifteen and my Grandpa was just a little bit older. They've been married over sixty years.

My Grandma dropped out of high school when she got married. She later went back to school and not only got her bachelors degree but a masters as well. She taught English to high school students for many years. Ironically, she taught the two years she missed when she dropped out. When she talks about it, she gets tears in her eyes and says, "The Lord restores."

My Grandpa can catch fish like there's no tomorrow. He's great with his hands and was a welder for many years. He knows how to fix anything and everything. The two of them are well-loved by our family and their entire community.

Last year my Grandma was in a car wreck. I stayed in the hospital with her for a few days. If I had a dime for every time someone said, "Your grandparents are very special people" then I'd be a rich woman today. And I do feel richly blessed by their legacy of love and faith.

Here are a few of my favorite photos of my Grandma and Grandpa...

Engagement picture

Grandma as a young mom with my Aunt and Dad

50th wedding anniversary (and now they've been married over 60 years!)

Beauty in Brokenness

I wrote this a few months ago after facilitating a grief support group for the first time. As I've done counseling this week, it keeps coming to mind...

Lord,

Life can be so hard.

We are so fragile…

all of us one breath away from eternity.

We forget until tragedy comes

and we are reminded

how we are all like flowers of the field.

And yet, You love us.

You value us.

You gave Your life for us.

But You also allow us

to be broken.

How do we make sense of that?

Where is the beauty in the shattered pieces?

We want You to make

something lovely of our lives

but more often it is more like a mosaic—

beauty out of a million broken pieces—

than the flawless work of art we imagine.

So, help us, Lord.

Give us strength in our brokenness.

Let us say with Job,

“Though He slay me,

yet will I trust Him.”

Is there a harder prayer to pray?

I do not know of one.

Come to us, take our pieces,

use them for Your purposes

Until we see, as You do,

The beauty in the brokenness.

My favorite post from a fellow blogger on finding beauty in brokenness is by Angie Smith from Bring the Rain. I hope you'll take a moment to read The Past and the Pitcher.

Lord, I'm a mess...please use me!

That's the prayer I repeated over and over to myself as I started a new adventure this week. My counseling internship finally began. I always thought I would get to this point and think, "Ahh, now I have it all together." Ridiculous, I know, but we all have our fantasies.

Instead I'm hobbling around on my injuries (see previous post).

I also changed my outfit three times. The first time the hem in my pants came out. The second I discovered a stain on my shirt. And the third one just didn't match.

Then I forgot my wedding and "hope" rings that I always wear.

Oh, and did I mention that I left my planner (including my license and credit cards) somewhere?

It almost seemed as if God decided I needed to do without my outward securities.

And I'm glad.

It was freeing to be reminded that we're all just beautiful messes, saved by scandalous grace, and crazy-loved by a God who should have given up a long time ago.

For me, that's hope--pure and simple.

Black and Blue and Biking too

This is my husband, Mark. He's an amazing mountain biker. About a month ago, I got a bike too. Until now, I've been staying safely on the street. But when Mark asked if I'd go on a trail with him this afternoon, I agreed.

Not only did I go slower than most turtles would have on that trail, I also injured myself twice (don't worry, Mom, I'm fine). I'll let you guess how the first injury (small gashes on my leg) happened...

A) I was surprisingly going about 30 miles an hour down a hill when suddenly a tree branch stabbed me.

B) A rabid possum latched onto my leg and I fought him off with my bare hands.

C) I got completely scared, put my foot down, and the bike sprockets attacked me.

I tried all of these stories on Mark. If you went with answer C, then you're in good company. The second time I injured myself I tried to get off of my bike to walk it, tripped over the bar attached to the seat, and fell down. Hence the bruises. Sigh.

Mark was a really good sport and encouraged me. Although he did think it was quite hilarious that both times I got hurt I was actually trying to protect myself. He kept telling me, "Just roll with the trail and you'll be fine."

Of course, everything that happens to me is a spiritual analogy. So I started thinking about how I do the same with God. He asks me to get out of my comfort zone, take some risks, and hit the trail with Him. Rather than moving forward in confidence and trust, I often spend far more time trying to make sure nothing happens to me. And in the end, I usually become my own worst enemy.

If you had been listening closely to me today, you would have heard me saying over and over some phrases God has been impressing on my heart the last few months...

Faith over fear.

Risk is right.

Choose courage.

I'm making more progress with those lessons in my heart than I am on the trail. I told Mark when we got done, "My mind knows it's okay and I'm safe, but my bottom isn't convinced. It's still trying to save itself."

One day all of me will learn to tackle the trail and ride through life in total freedom but it's a process. I'm glad God and Mark both seem to be in it for the long haul.

I've heard the saying, "If you can't be an example, be a warning." So take it from me, my friends, and let this photo remind you to be far braver than I was today...

(Please note that the chain on the left matches the marks on my leg to the right.)

TGIF (Thank God I'm Funny)

I'd like to introduce you to Jon Huckeby. He's a DaySpring designer, artist, writer, and buddy of mine.

When I asked Jon why humor is important he said, "Laughter is the cherry on top of life. It could also be a strawberry or blueberry. If we laugh we may be reminded that good things are up ahead."

Jon is far funnier than I am, so really this post should be titled, "Thank God He's Funny" but the acronym doesn't work as well that way.

So here's your Friday afternoon laugh courtesy of Jon and DaySpring...

© copyright 2008 DaySpring ® Cards. All rights reserved.

Facebook

I just joined Facebook--finally!

Confessions of a Non-Morning Person

I have a dilemma.

(But first I have to confess something really quick…I have apparently been misspelling dilemma my entire life. I always spell it "dilemna" and spell-check just corrected me.

Then I asked the other two editors who sit by me if that were indeed true. Sometimes my spell-check switches to French without warning and turns my entire world upside down.

But no, it’s true—d-i-l-e-m-m-a.

See, writers do that stuff too—most of them just don’t tell. I always imagine myself getting fired when I do.)

Okay, back to my other confession. I’m not a morning person at all. I’ve learned to get up because I’m married to one. Even on the weekends I don’t sleep past seven or so. But those first few moments are torture. And I always stay in bed longer than I planned on the night before.

Here are a few of the drastic measures I’ve taken to change this…

1) Put the alarm clock in the other room (got up and went back to bed).

2) Put chocolate on the alarm clock (ate it and went back to bed).

3) Put a fabulous friend in charge of keeping me accountable (confessed and went back to bed). This one is still in progress so it may work after all.

When we were first married, my husband once set all the clocks an hour ahead without telling me. He then called from work and asked, "Whatcha doing?" I told him I was up and getting ready. He then shared his little secret and cheerily said, "See, you can get up early!" (I don’t advise this tactic if you are married to a non-morning person.)

So, you morning people or non-morning people who have tackled this successfully, what are your secrets?

And, by the way, I know you’re out there and I’m really glad. One day last week almost 500 of you stopped by. Thanks! I’d love to hear from you!

A Prayer for You

If you're hurting right now, I'm thinking of you.

It has rained all day here and as I've watched the drops fall, those of you walking through storms in your lives have come to mind.

Wherever you are, whatever you're going through, this is my prayer for you...

Lord,

Thank you that you are not only the God of sunny skies,

you are Lord of the rain in our lives as well.

So I come to you on behalf of your daughter

whose heart is hurting today.

I ask that you would draw her close to you.

Shelter her with your love,

protect her with your peace,

keep her safe in your strength.

May every drop that falls bring forth

life, growth, and unexpected beauty

like spring flowers after storms.

Wherever she may be as she reads these words,

may she know she is loved and prayed for...

I may not know her name but I hope I one day I will.

And on this day, you know not only her name

but how many hairs are on her head

and how many cares are in her heart.

So I place your daughter in your loving hands

and ask you to bless and strengthen her today.

Amen.

God will tenderly comfort you...He will give you the strength to endure.

II CORINTHIANS 1:7 TLB

If you want to see a powerful story about how your Heavenly Father carries you through the storms of life, go to Nooma and click on Rain then "Play 001 Rain film".

Need ideas? Go fish!

I promised to post some photos from the editorial department's trip to Hallmark last week so here are a few.

The photo above is from a writing studio at Hallmark established by Gordon MacKenzie, author of Orbiting the Giant Hairball. He's the most famous (or infamous) creative from the company and worked there for thirty years.

This particular studio is decorated with random items from antique stores like roll-top desks, stained-glass windows, and even an old piano. When there are brainstorms, everyone sits around the table and throws their ideas into this fish.

These lovely ladies from left to right are: Ann, a Senior Editor; Bonnie, a Senior Writer; and Susan, another Senior Editor. They work wonders. Ann and Susan edit over 4,000 items each year. Amazing! I'll tell you a bit more about Bonnie in a moment. 

They're standing outside the Hallmark Creative Research Library. It's a wonderful place where writers and designers can go to look at magazines, read books, and find other sources of inspiration. 

Here's another photo of Bonnie and I outside the library. You've probably read many of Bonnie's words on our cards and gifts. A few fun facts about her are...

1) She's a Northerner and lives in another state. So getting to be with her is a treat for us. She likes to come see us so she can go to Sonic.

2) She's the most stylish grandma I've ever met.

3) She's an amazing baker. Every year she sends us Christmas cookies so intricate and beautiful that Martha Stewart would be jealous.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from Bonnie...

Hope is a kite for the soul,

carried by the wind of God's Spirit

to a place where cares fade

and things look brighter...

where you begin to see that

His faithfulness will never

let you down--it will only

lift you higher than you've

ever been before.

--Bonnie Jensen

Isn't that fabulous?

The grand finale photo of the day is of our fearless leader, Linn. He's a humble guy who doesn't take compliments well. In fact, he'll probably be far more upset with me for telling you that he's one of the godliest, greatest guys you'll ever meet (and he's a lot of fun too) than he will be that I posted this picture.

I'll let you guess which one he is...