Monday, June 17, 2013

Photo by Jon Acuff. Can be found on Jon Acuff’s Pinterest site.

I am in the very middle of writing my book about fear. The deeper I get into it, the more I am challenged by fear. If you find yourself in that place, remember this note. Satan will only bother you when you are doing something that matters. And Satan can only offer fear. Always keep in mind the old adage “Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.”

For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

Sunday, June 16, 2013

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 NLT

Friday, June 14, 2013

Have you ever worked with THAT person? Oh, so funny. Have a great weekend. Be a blessing!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

I spent a great deal of time last night complaining to my husband. I do try to keep that to a minimum. However, if I didn’t get it all off my chest, I could have spontaneously combusted at any moment. To avoid the flying debris from my explosion, my sweet man listened as I unloaded every complaint from my hair to my writer’s block to my guilt of poor parenting. (Also, to my mourning of my childhood home. I will share that with you next week when my emotions are once again under control.)

As a quick side note, my man once again showed me why I fall in love with him over and over on a daily basis. He did the husband-thing REALLY well last night. I can honestly say he is ALWAYS a good husband, but sometimes he even out-does himself. If that makes sense.

But back to point. One of my complaints of my poor parenting is I have not been enjoying my children this summer. Granted we are only 2 weeks into our summer, but still. I have been so stressed about finishing my book, which should have already been finished, that I have not appreciated having the kids home with me.

I truly was looking forward to them being out of school. We were all mentally exhausted from the last month of school, and so ready for this downtime. But now that we are here, I have not enjoyed it. I mean, really enjoyed it. I have not been writing as much, but spending time with them instead. Which would be a good thing, except, when I am with them, I feel guilty and stressed I am not finishing my book. So my mood isn’t playful and light, but impatient and somber.

After my half-hour ranting to JW about all of this, then listening to his calming words, I made a decision. I was going to enjoy the kids. Regardless. I was going to be present with them. And today was a good day. It is a good start to daily being present and happy. They will only be this age once. And time is going extremely fast. I don’t want to miss a moment of making memories with them.

We started with a hearty breakfast and a visit to the library. Where we ended up staying for 2 hours. Who would’ve thought?

Anabelle sorting through her book selection at the library.

I made their favorite foods for lunch – yes, unhealthy food – and then we went swimming. The kids are in SBO this week from 6pm to 8:40pm all this week, so they are having a blast each night. (SBO is our church’s Summer Break Out; our version of Vacation Bible School).

A great shot of Anabelle hitting the water. She is learning to swim this summer without floaties. She is doing a fantastic job and is very brave. It is a blast to watch her venture out a little further, gaining more confidence with each jump.

Seth, my transparent-skinned child, jumped off the diving board and landed perfectly on the air mattress. Of course, you know what happened next. But it was cool while it lasted. He has OU shaved into the back of his head and when it is wet, it appears highlighted. Now, that is a true OU Football fan. I didn’t catch it at first, but Seth’s hand looks like he is picking up Cooper by the head. Cooper is several feet behind him, but that is funny.

I taped some great video of Cooper jumping off the diving board, but….sigh…I can’t get it off my phone. Still working on it. But seriously, there is no cuter kid in a pair of goggles. His little ears – which already stick out – are scrunched out to the point I think they may inhibit his swimming by catching more water. Absolutely the best.

I feel like JoePhotographer getting this shot. Not bad for a camera phone, huh? Granted his form may need a little work, this is a very cool picture. Every teenage boy needs a picture of himself in mid-air. I see a new profile picture for his Facebook coming soon.

Yes, even I had FUN. Maybe when the water warms up, I will get a shot of me in mid-air, too. Then I would be the coolest mom in Johnson County. And yes, my picture is cropped and reduced on purpose. You didn’t honestly think I was going to blow up a picture of me in a swimsuit this early in the summer? Seth gets his transparent skin from one of his parents, and it isn’t Dad.

Today was a good start to enjoying the kids like I should. I know every day won’t be perfect, and I will let stress creep in sometimes. But I hope I am aware when it does so I can re-focus on what is important at this time in my life. Today, at this time, I will choose to play with my kids. And truly enjoy them.

PS – Tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor…my scheduled Bible reading today included Philippians 2. Yep. It did. Verse 14 says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing….” Geez. Loud and clear.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Moving on From Wednesday’s with Seth

There will no longer be a Wednesday’s with Seth anymore. I am starting my own website and will blog on it instead. I would love for you to read my blogs there when they are up and posted. Thank you for reading my blogs. You have been a great audience for my writing. Thank you for all your support.

When I get the website running right, I will have Mom give you the address to read it.

Your Friend,

Seth

*Note from Mom: I thought Seth has done a great job writing each Wednesday. I think he is very talented and could have a future in writing, if he so chooses. But I recognize the discipline and commitment to keep up each week is a lot for a 10 year old little boy. Especially one with problems staying focused! I suspect his ambition of starting his own blog will quickly wane when he realizes the time involved. Nonetheless, I will encourage him to do it. And IF he does follow through, I will be proudly sharing his link. Thanks for encouraging my young writer!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

This past Saturday was my hometown’s Founder’s Day. When I was growing up, I think the population was close to 800. But I used to lie to my college friends and tell them we had 1,000. Someone told me recently they think the population is now under 500. It changes the definition of small town for those who live in small towns of 75,000 people.

Every year the town celebrates with a parade, a barbeque lunch and festivities such as turtles races and sack races. The evening is closed out with a street dance listening to a live band. I don’t remember a time as a kid I didn’t attend. It was a big deal. HUGE. Especially when I was finally old enough to go to the street dance.

Last year I went and took Justin with me. He was a bit bored, I think. You know, being a teenager and all. And he bought a chicken. (But that is another story entirely. It received a lot of blog-time, if you remember. You can start here, if you missed out.) This year I took Anabelle and Cooper. They are the perfect age to enjoy it. They had a blast.

Anabelle and Cooper stood anxiously waiting for the parade to start. They would strain to see as far down the street as they could. Then they would pepper me with questions of “How much longer?” Then they would stand post again. I adore them. We had told them about the candy those in the parade would throw to them. I’m sure the anticipation of finding out exactly what kind of candy was almost too much for their little minds to contain.

Fortunately, the candy was an awesome selection and not the kid-dreaded-hard-butterscotch candies. There was even chocolate. We hit pay dirt!

The kids ran, played at the park, carried turtles around and gave them names such as “Ladybug” and “Annie” and “Big Boxer.” They rode in the back of a pickup truck and in a Model T classic car. They ate sweet treats in the stands while watching the adults play softball. It was everything a small town gathering should be for a kid.

After being away for 25 years, I still LOVE going and seeing old friends. Unfortunately with the years, the number is greater of the people I don’t know than the familiar faces I do know. It is genuine joy for me to hug someone I have not seen in a few years or catch up with a high school chum I have not seen since I graduated.

Gosh. It seems like a lifetime ago when I lived there and knew most every person in town. A LOT has happened in 25 years. College. Careers. Marrying my soul mate. Four children. Challenges and victories and trips and memories and tears and laughter. While I am thankful to have spread my wings and flown from the nest, it is always a blessing to go back to my roots.

My children will likely never have the appreciation for a true small town that I do. They are growing up in a small town of 175,000 people. Before this it was 2.5 million. But I hope someday, years after they have flown the nest, they have an appreciation for returning to their roots to reflect and be grateful for the blessings of their childhood.

Monday, June 10, 2013

I am in the middle of writing my book about fear and anxiety. I love how God places articles and information in front of me dealing with this very topic. Here is an article written by the late Norman Vincent Peale.

Four Steps to Banish Anxiety

By  Norman Vincent Peale

Of all the thousands of letters I have received, the problem of worry is most frequently presented. The following verses helped many to gain victory over worries. Hence we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid; what can man do to me? (Hebrews 13:6).

Nobody can really hurt you. We do not stand alone in this world for we can turn to God and He will always help us. Fill your mind with thoughts of God; get in harmony with God’s will; eliminate from your mind all feelings contrary to love; practice simple trust. God then can help you.

The method outlined in this verse for casting out anxiety is fourfold: prayer, supplication, thanksgiving and just telling God what you want. When you are worried, stop thinking emotionally and talking in an anxious manner, and pray.  Ask God to relieve you of your fears and show you how to handle the problem that causes the fear. Then, immediately upon asking Him, give thanks, thus expressing your belief that He is answering your prayer, for He is.

“If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:24). It is important when dealing with worry to go to sleep at night in the right manner. If you retire with a mind filled with fear thoughts you will have only superficial sleep, for beneath the surface, anxieties are disturbing you in the deep subconscious.

Therefore when you lie down to sleep, think of God as being with you and watching over you. Place the cares of the day in His hands. Every night say this verse to yourself before you go to sleep. Then, instead of fears in your subconscious, faith in God’s presence will develop a confident approach to your anxiety.

To read more about Norman Vincent Peale, start here  on the Guideposts site.  He created years of extraordinary material to encourage and bless millions. Even in death, he is still making an impact.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.

Psalm 29:11 NLT

Friday, June 8, 2013

This is me with road rage. Have a blessed weekend. And use your blinker.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

About Courage

I tried to start my own website blog this week. I will let you know if it works. I want to do my own and have special days like Weird Wednesday where you tell weird stuff that has happened to you. I want to do a Funny Friday like my mom, and a Peaceful Sunday and it is about memories with your family.

Last week I said I would talk about courage today. Courage is what you feel inside yourself that makes you think you can do what you need to do. You can be scared and still have courage. We show courage all the time never realize it. The best way to have courage is to always think what will happen. What will happen without courage? What will happen if you do have courage?

Being a kid is courageous. Trying to fit in takes guts. It takes courage to say no to the wrong things, like drugs. Courage is like a fire in your heart. When you have it, you have the determination of ten men. Courage comes from God. He put it in your heart when you were born. Everyone is born with it but they don’t notice they have it. When they do something they didn’t think they could do, and they do it anyway, that is when they realize they have courage. When you are a Christian then you know it came from God. You should always thank God for courage. And for everything else. Like self-confidence and determination.

Tune in next week for a funny blog.

Your friend,

Jim Carrey aka Seth