I Can See Clearly Now

I have on occasion questioned how I ended up so peculiar. I've even gone so far as to formulate a theory on how the synapses in my brain must have been shorted out at some point and are misfiring on a regular basis...anywho. On Thursday our family got together at my parent's house to celebrate Birdie's 28th birthday. My Aunt Lisa and her family of five are currently crashing with my parents and the Punks are up visiting in NY so it was a full house of crazy. I put my new camera to good use and upon reviewing the pictures my level of sanity makes so much more sense.

Punk and Birdie.

I grew up sandwiched between these two loonies. I shared a room with Punk for most of my childhood and had a band with Birdie called Blueberry and Lemony Lime. We were a one hit wonder. I assure you that this takes "middle child syndrome" to a whole new level.

This is Brother Bill, my Aunt Lisa's husband. My Aunt Lisa and mom are every bit as close as Punk and I are, this means that as a child I spent a great deal of time visiting this man's home. It was inevitable that his eccentricities would rub off on all of us kids. I was not exempt.

We take food made of sugar very seriously in our family.

Don't I look so normal? Even Baby Birdie looks mellow compared to the rest of those nut jobs. Sweet, sweet Baby Birdie, by the time this family is done with you you'll be completely certifiable. Most likely from all the dutch ovens your dad will subject you to, but still I apologize ahead of time for the role I'll play in your demise.

I Guess That's The Just The Kind Of Parent I Am

Last Thursday after I spent the day hanging out with my OBGyn, I was feeling less than cheery. So when Braden cried for someone to snuggle him so he could sleep, I let Bella climb into his bed to snuggle him. They played in his bed for two hours before they fell asleep. I didn't shush them or threaten to separate them if they didn't lay down and go to sleep. I just sat down the hall from them and enjoyed listening to them play. It gave me the warm fuzzies for sure. After they fell asleep, I couldn't resist but to snap their picture. Siblings are a gift.Periodically during my childhood my parents would remind Punk, Birdie and I that our friends weren't as important as the relationship we had together. That even when all those friends were gone we would still have each other. Obviously my kids are too small to understand that concept but the bond between them is undeniable. While I feel pretty confident that they won't be sending each other pictures of hot guys to cheer each other up during the rough times, I am confident that they will never let the other suffer or laugh alone.
Family is awesome that way.

I'm headed to the midnight showing of HP6. All that talk about family being there for you and Punk won't even bother to drive the 16 hours it would take to go to the movies with me. At least I can count on Homegirl. I knew she would come through.

Eight at the Rate

I woke up thinking this phrase this morning. It's what the boys at my last job used to say when they turned down overtime. "I'm just working 8 at the rate." The reason I was thinking this is because I thought I had gotten 8 hours of sleep and that never happens. I was downright giddy at the thought of sleeping a full 8 hours. Of course then I realized that I had gone to bed at 11:30 not 11 and had woken up at 5:30 not 7. (even though I did lay in bed until 7 so that has to count for something right? Maybe that's just laziness.)

Anyway, the phrase made me think back to the times I had at that job. Then I realized that I didn't really have any great times at that job. I didn't get too friendly with my co-workers because they were all men and I don't want friends like them. The only perk I could remember about that job (besides payday) was having lunch with my Dad.

We worked together and having lunch with him everyday was a truly special time in my life. It's not like we had huge discussions about life or he bestowed magical wisdom to me at lunch everyday. It was his mere company. It's the only time in my life that I've had my Dad all to myself. It really meant a lot to me. It's the only thing that I really miss about working there.

The company that owns the plant he works for is in trouble. Honestly, a lot of companies are at risk of going under during this economic crisis. This particular company is an international one and its American plants are all in danger of closing. The plant that my Dad works at has laid off a lot of people, given others early retirement and now has announced that unless things turn around they will be closing this particular branch in December.

My parents have seen hard times before and they aren't worried. They possess a peace that most cannot understand because they know that God's plan is at work here. Just the same, if you would remember to pray for them and the six kids they still have living at home it would mean a lot to me.

I mentioned when I told you about the miscarriage that there was a huge difference in dealing with the stress of that situation alone and dealing with it once I shared the news with each of you. I firmly believe this was the result of your prayers.

Back in the early 90's Steven Curtis Chapman penned the words, "I can still feel the prayers you prayed for me all those years and I see now more than ever the difference they have made." I believe with my whole heart that this is true. When we pray for each other, God is faithful in providing peace to those in turmoil and reminding us that he is taking care of us, even when we can't see Him working.



Next week I'm hoping to get the opportunity to share an excerpt from my Aunt's book. It's something I've been wanting to do for a few weeks now and it looks like next week I'll get the chance. Make sure you check in. It's quite a treat.



Have a happy fourth of July weekend with your families.

A Matchmaker with Ulterior Motives

Bella: Is Aunt Birdie your sister?

Me: She married my brother so that makes her my sister-in-law.

Bella: What's an In-Law?

Me: Like when mommy married daddy Uncle Tony became my brother-in-law.

Bella: We need to find a girl that is alone like Uncle Tony is alone.

Me: So they can be together?

Bella: Yeah, a girl that is alone but with no cat and with no boyfriend.

Me: No cat because Uncle Tony has one already?

Bella: Yeah, then they can be together...I wonder who will be their flower girl.

When I Grow Up, I'm Going to Be 10

I haven't been getting too much sleep lately. All last week was full of restless nights and last night I couldn't fall asleep until 2 a.m. landing me a whopping 4 hours of sleep. So even though I have a few ideas for blogs that I'd like to share with you, I lack the mental fortitude to actually pull them together.

Normally when I can't think of anything to share I go on a rant about youtube and link you to multiple pictures of Robert Pattinson and Trent Edwards. Today I'm too far gone for even that.

Today I'm here and I'm about 10. In case you've forgotten being 10 is awesome.

These kids make up 6 of my 7 younger siblings. My kids are also on the trampoline somewhere. I spent the day with them. I corrected their schoolwork, made them do chores and practice piano. At some point one of them said, "You're kind of like a mom." After five years of service someone finally noticed. Sweet.

How to Pray

My dad just turned 54 last week and we finally got him to go for that pesky colonoscopy. Only four years late but hey at least we got him to go. It turns out he had 5 large polyps in his colon. They removed them all and are sending them for testing. I would imagine that it takes a week or so to get results on such a test. Then we'll find out if they are cancerous or not.
Tonight I was snuggling Braden while he was falling asleep and I started to pray. My instinct was to pray that nothing is cancerous and we move forward 5 polyps lighter and cancer free. But then I paused. I was conflicted about how to pray. I see no shame or wrong doing in praying for what you want, but I believe that we are to seek God's will for our lives. What if what I want doesn't line up with the will of God? How do you pray then?
The truth is I believe that God has a plan for each of our lives. He clearly tells us so in the Bible. He even goes so far as to reassure us that His "plans are for good and not for evil". He doesn't necessarily say they are for our purposes or that they are even what we would interpret as good. His good might be a greater plan that we cannot see. One that shines a light on His glory. One that requires faith to find. God's purposes are often most clearly seen in the greatest of trials, whether it be cancer/sickness or loss or any other struggle we thought we didn't want. God has a purpose and in time those purposes will be revealed.
So I chose to pray that God would use this situation for His glory. I know that my parents would want nothing less.
In my own life, I've been having a terrible time forgiving someone in my family. The truth is I'm totally justified in my anger and hurt feelings but I know that God wants me to persevere through the difficulty of the situation and forgive and move forward with love for this person. A love I've so generously been given from Him in spite of myself and my choices.
And so we persevere and pray. In faith, with love for God's will.