Notice Anything Odd?

Okay, okay, maybe I talked it up a little bit too much before I let you all in on it. As mothers, though, I'm sure most of you understand the frustration of this. Thankfully, no chicken pox here, but I first noticed something odd when I sat down to do Erin's hair yesterday. It appeared to me as this huge chunk of hair chopped off and sticking straight up in the air. My initial reaction to her was not overly angry or violent, as I was just struck with all-out SHOCK and DISBELIEF. My ERIN did this? My compliant, obedient, cooperative child? The one child of my three whom I would have LEAST expected to act so impulsively?

I calmly asked her when she did it. "A couple days ago."

"Were you alone when you did it?" "Yes."

"Erin, WHY did you do it?" "There was a poof in my hair and I couldn't get it to go down."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"A POOF?" "So, THIS is better than a POOF????"

At this point, I expected her to start crying, but she never did. In the last couple of days, before I noticed what she'd done, she must have had time to come to terms with her new "do", because it didn't seem to take her by surprise how bad it looked or how upset I was. I was almost HOPING for tears, so I would know she understood the seriousness of it. But she really didn't seem too upset by the whole thing.

It was a different story with ME, though. For the next few hours all I could manage to do was STARE at the thing--this ugly, rude, obnoxious tuft of hair "ruining" my perfect little daughter. (You don't have to tell me what's wrong with this. I already know. I'm just explaining to you my thought process at the time.) I was REALLY angry for several hours. As the Lord always does, though, He began to place thoughts in my head to put things in the proper perspective. Specifically, giving me thoughts of things that would be WORSE than this. And there were LOTS.

By last evening, I had moved past the anger and reached the "acceptance" phase. Erin must have decided it was "safe" to ask the question she'd probably been thinking about all day. She looked me straight in the eyes and asked,

"Mommy, do you still love me?"

"What do you think?," I said with a grin.

She smiled, then she LAUGHED, then went about on her merry way.

Console me, PLEASE!!!!

What can you imagine would be the worst possible thing that could happen to your child's appearance only a mere week before church directory pictures are due to be taken? Use your imagination......get creative.......and maybe your off-the-wall ideas will make me feel better about the new appearance of my "beautiful" little daughter.

Property of....

I just couldn't resist after hearing the sermon today.

"Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name." Revelation 3:12

There is absolutely no greater honor, no greater joy, than to have His name written on me.

14 Years Ago Today................

.........the two kids you see before you were linked for life in the bond called marriage. At 18 and 20, we had NO IDEA what we were in for. Looking back at this picture, I am truly amazed at all that's happened in the past 14 years. First of all, I feel too young to be able to say I've been married that long. And I honestly can not believe how much God has changed us during this time. I am not the same person I was in that picture. Neither is Matt. Since the fateful wedding day all those years ago, God has been gracious enough to allow us to experience so much......

We have experienced the ecstasy of being young and married and crazy about each other.

We have experienced the reality of adjusting to life once "the honeymoon was over".

We have experienced the adventure of building a house together.

We have experienced the challenges of combining two separate backgrounds, full of differences in personalities, ideas, habits, and traditions, and out of that, building a single life and home together.

We have shared in the wonder, joy, and all-out fear that comes with being parents.

We have experienced the weariness of sleepless nights, crying babies, puking children, and trips to the ER.

We have experienced what it means to put our children in God's hands.

We have experienced rock-bottom together.

We have experienced healing together.

We have learned to trust God together.

We have learned that love is not a feeling.

We have both learned that each of us is married to a sinner.

We have learned to forgive.

We have learned what it means to stay married because God says it's right, not because we feel like it.

We have been pleasantly surprised to find out that, even after three children, all the activity of life, and all that we've been through, when we are alone together we still genuinely like each other.

We have experienced the awe of knowing we are among God's chosen.

We have learned to accept the fact that we are both individual works in progress, and that our marriage is a work in progress.


Fourteen years ago I was under the assumption that the purpose of marriage was to bring us happiness. God has used these years to teach me the Truth--that the purpose of marriage is to transform us both into the image of Christ, to exalt Him in everything we do, and to give us a glimpse of the Profound Mystery--Christ's love for His Church.

I am grateful He's opened my eyes to the Truth. May God give us the grace to stand firm as He finishes this work.