Seasons of Love, Dewey Grass and Flying Through Life

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!  Did I really just say that?  Nah, must have been someone else...  Such an overused exclamation wouldn't fly out of my mouth!  Or how about "time has no face value", like the clock in the picture.

Looking around, nope, no one else here right now, SOOOO, guess it was me.  I've turned into a cliche.  I am part of the rat race, a sleep deprived, stressed, labrynth mouse that tackles each day with a To Do list.   Sometimes, I just wish the world would slow down!  But then, in reality, it's up to each of us to slow our own lives down and remember to jump off that hamster wheel every now and then.

Think I told you awhile back, that I love Christmas and all of the days leading up to it, all 364 of them, to be exact.  Each year, it seems like there are fewer and fewer days in between and couple that with the fact that it's not even Halloween yet, but I am already in pre-Christmas tree furniture rearranging mode.  My poor husband.  He comes home and goes to sit down in a chair that is now 2 rooms away.  I must really mess up his mantra when I continually rearrange things.  He is very happy, though, that there are a few things in this house, that I couldn't move, no matter how determined I am, the stove, the sink and the bathroom fixtures!  Give me a chance though, and I WILL FIGURE IT OUT, HONEY!  Love you!  Might be a good idea to look before you automatically walk in and sit down, you know, just in case....that chair isn't there.

Just when we get comfortable in our lives, change happens.  None of us are safe from change, unless of course, we lock ourselves into a room, totally void of electronic stimulus, store bought anything and refuse to change our ways for anything, for anyone, for any reason.  What a droll life that would be.  Just imagine never seeing a beautiful God painted sunrise or sunset, or finding comical shapes in the clouds (like a Junior Mint...that one is from my son).  Imagine a life without ever seeing another human being, a smile, the taste of chocolate or the sip of a fine wine as its virtues linger on your palette.  What would it be like to never see life beyond the four windowless walls that surrounded you, to experience something new and wonderful, to bring joy to someone else, to shed a tear at sad news?  What would it be like?

I don't think I want to ever be in that place and I don't imagine you would either.

As I sit here staring at the corner where the first of many Christmas trees will be placed (very, very soon, actually), I tell myself that first thing tomorrow, I need to get down on my hands and knees and clean those baseboards.  Why stop there, let's wipe down the walls too, and how about the windows inside and out?  OOO, I think I just totally planned my whole day tomorrow and none of it, absolutely none of it sounds appealing to me right now.  Think I'll pull a Scarlett O'Hara and worry about it tomorrow.  Fiddle dee dee.

That was only a sample of what we all do to over-plan, overload and stress out our lives.  Granted, houses have to be cleaned, because I have yet to see one that takes care of itself, but without even considering the other things that I was scheduled to do tomorrow, I've added yet another complicated list of to-do's to an already busy day 24 hour period of my life.  Some days, I wish there were 30 or 40 hours in a day, and it is exactly that kind of thinking that puts me, you, all of us in that "time flies when you're having fun" mode.  Before you know it, your children are grown, your hair is gray and you're talking aching backs, creaking knees and forgetfulness.  What was I talking about?  Oh yeah, I remember now.  Good grief!  Honestly, is there ever really enough time to get it all done - everything we have to do, need to do, and more importantly, want to do?

Every day is made up of 1440 minutes.  Our 1440 minutes are packed full of running here and there, rushing through meals, taking everything for granted.  We forget the moments that are stuck in there that contain the little miracles.  I have so very much to be thankful for and before I move one more piece of furniture, wash a window, clean the baseboards or put up a Christmas tree (it is still October, after all), maybe I need to slow things down a little and let those 525,600 minutes happen at a more normal pace.  I want to enjoy the simple laughter of a precious baby.  I want to soak in the beauty and the love that is all around me and not at a "time flying by" at a crazy, out of control pace.  Think  of all of the wonderful "moments"  you are missing in those 525,600 minutes that seem to fly by in the blink of an eye.  Maybe it's time we all just take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  Do it again, and one more time.  We miss so much, so many wonderful things when we fly through life and it seems like it is just a blur.

I don't think that God intended for us to move so quickly through life, that we ended up missing all the good stuff, the simple stuff, the common everyday miracle kind of stuff.  Ever had someone tell you to take time to "stop and smell the roses"?  People, it's time to do just that!  Not just once in awhile, but every day.  Take time to stop, take it all in, enjoy that sunrise, the beautiful sky, the simplicity of a drop of dew on a blade of grass.  Maybe, take time to just watch the rise and fall of someone's chest as they lay sleeping next to you.  That in itself is one major miracle.  God designed our bodies to keep on, keepin' on, while we were sleeping.  We don't even have to think about taking a breath.  It just happens.  That's so cool.  And those grass seeds that a lot of you may have just planted, think about that one seed that gets sunlight, and water, and slowly, the coating on that seed breaks open and makes room for that single shoot to pop out its head and start to grow.  Week one, it's just a tiny little thing, but in less than a month, that single shoot is 2 to 3 inches tall and is but one of  millions that make a pretty grassy lawn just so you can run barefoot through it in the dew of the morning.  Dewey grass running in slow motion....I think we all need to do it more often.  Join me, won't you?

1320 minutes into my day and I have slowed down.  I'm tired and at the end of my thoughts.   My pillow is calling, so I will wrap it up here.  Life just seems crazier and shorter each and every day.  It really does fly by, and quickly!  We can't help that sometimes, so do yourself a favor and teach yourself, your children to slow down and take a deep breath.  Remember to take time to notice those countless miracles, the simple things that we tend to overlook in our fast paced lives.  Measure up the simple stuff because it really is the important stuff.  How do you measure?  Think about it.  Life really is too short and you shouldn't  miss any of it.  525,600 minutes in a year....what do you do to measure yours?

Stop and smell the roses.  Slow down.  Measure your life in minutes, in moments, in breaths, in miracles and then tell HIM, thanks!

God bless each and everyone of you.  Have a wonderful day tomorrow and each day after.  Better yet, have a wonderful moment.....make those 1440 minutes tomorrow and every day, memorable, spiritual, breathless.  Make them moments to cherish for a lifetime.  Make them Life's Morsels.  The good stuff, the seasons of love...

Kaye

Stuff!

Hello friends.  I'm back, it's been awhile.  A recent conversation about "stuff" started a whole thought process for me that I wanted to share.  So here we go!

Do you have "stuff" rules at your house?  You know what I mean.  "Stuff", clothes, knick knacks, dishes, food, shoes, games, books, magazines, and so on, and so on, and so on!  You've got the idea now...STUFF.

Clothes linger in my closet or dresser over a year without being worn, and my new rule is "bye bye".  If I didn't put it on in the last 12 months, I DON'T NEED IT!  Hence, yard sales, donations to Good Will, and passing on to others that might possibly want my unworn, gently used clothes.

Most recently, I took a tour through my son's closet.  OMG.  I can't even see the floor, the walls, the inside of the door for his collection of STUFF.  There are shirts and pants in there with tags still attached.  Hmm, funny how those were things that he swore up and down that he really wanted.  Interestingly enough, once they made it into our home, they got put on a hanger and left for the closet monster to consume until I made the decision to reclaim the space within.

"STUFF".  What is your biggest collection of the things that you think you just can't live without?  Guess what?  You Can!!!!  You will manage, we all manage somehow.  If your stuff is tucked away in a closet or drawer, or stacked so high, you can't see over it, it has taken on its own identity and will soon take over your life.  If that stack or pile or hidden treasure isn't doing anything to help you clean your humble abode, or cook your dinner, or get you to and from work, it's become a monster in its own right and will ultimately bring you stress and frustration.  It will get in the way of relationships and family.  AND, then someday, when the Big Guy calls you home, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU.  Granted, you could have it stashed next to you when you reach your final resting spot, but IT'S NOT GOING TO DO YOU A BIT OF GOOD!

I had a neighbor years ago that had every copy of the Atlanta Journal newspaper she had ever purchased.   Never read, never used as wrapping for precious glassware or other treasures, just kept them stacked, everywhere there was a bare spot.  When she passed away, it got thrown away, still unread, unused and disintegrating and rotting right where it had been stacked year after year after year.

I am a wedding and event planner.  I do my own floral design and work.  My husband loves to do wood working and play the guitar.  My son loves to collect anime and Sonic the Hedgehog comic books.  He was a regular visitor to Border's Books before they closed.  He keeps them sealed in plastic slip sheets.  Don't you dare touch them either!  You will get a 10 minute speech on washing your hands and getting them soiled.

My husband's workshop is over the top.  It's crazy neat and organized.  He saves everything!  Most people buy quart sized canning jars for just that, canning fruits and veggies.  Nope, not at our house.  He has dozens of these jars, each filled with  wood working treasures, nuts, bolts, screws, washers, nails.  People walk into our garage and look around and comment "this just isn't right!"  They immediately sense OCD tendencies generally leaves them with a look of "Oh Wow" and total disbelief at the many shelves of neatly organized "stuff".  Then they see the file cabinets, 7 to be exact, and each one is chock full of more neatly organized "stuff".  Unbelievable.  Simply unbelievable, but I will tell you this much, he really does use this stuff.  So its classification of "stuff" then becomes "necessary stuff".  One year for Christmas, our daughter bought him a shirt that says "he who dies with the most tools, wins!"  Point made!

Okay, I've picked on my 2 fellas enough.  I'm just as bad.  As a floral designer, I like to have my own vases and containers, baskets, silk flowers, fabric, oasis foam, tape, etc., etc., etc..  I could pretty well start my own store with what I have neatly stacked, row by row, shelf by shelf.

I had a brainstorm a few months back, though, and now, things, um, er, uh, well, they are a changin'.

Time to pick on myself now.  Okay, clothes, 12 months not worn, they are outta there, so I thought that same philosophy might work with my shelf after shelf of glassware and "stuff".  I began to sell off things that hadn't been used in 2 years.  (I gave myself a little extra time, because, after all, trends change...don't want to purge that stuff too soon and then find out I need it).

I was doing great.  I sold everything I had in the way of balloons, weights, ribbons.  Even sold the shelf!  How's that for purging!

Then I sold chair covers.  I sold candelabras, table clothes, fabric, vases, charger plates...and the list goes on and on.  However, I was bad, not right away, but after a few weeks.  There I stood in my very well organized store room and workshop and bless its heart, it looked so empty.  There were bare shelves.  That's just simply not right, so, yep, I filled them up again.  I have literally cornered the market on glass vases and everything else that goes with them.  I bought a rattan chair, 3 dozen hanging lanterns, silk flowers, and 50 pounds of those little clear glass marbles that you put in the bottoms of vases.  Oh my, I was really, really bad.  A going out of business sale grabbed hold of me and simply wouldn't let go.  Next thing I know, I'm back in the "STUFF" business again.  But, hey, at least it's neatly organized on my very full, crowded shelves!

So, now that I've given you some insight into my world of stuff, where does yours stand?  What do you have that is sitting there, collecting dust, attracting paper mites, dust and other creepy crawly critters?  What did you buy one of and swear it was life changing, and all of a sudden, you own absolutely everything there is to go with it?

Did you know that piles and piles of "stuff" can stress you out?  Did you know that it can take over your life to the point that you have to justify its very existence in you humble abode?  Did you know that your "stuff" can cloud your thought process and your sense of reasoning?

Here's the challenge.  Go home, look at your stuff and honestly ask yourself "do I really need all this?"  Ask yourself to answer yes or no to the next question (and be honest with your answer, too.  After all, besides yourself, there is ONE that knows whether or not you are telling the truth.  Here's the thing.  You may have spent unfathomable amounts of money on your stuff.  You may actually pick it up and look at it once or twice, and then it goes right back into the "stuff" pile.  I am still bad about this with magazines.  I have myself convinced that there is something really important in there that I might need to know someday.  Working on that one...the problem with that theory is that you will more than likely forget exactly which one of those collecting publications contains the information that you actually need.  Go figure!

Things changed for me about my "stuff" piling up all around me 10 years ago.  When a family member passed away, I simply couldn't justify giving their things away.  I might forget if I don't see their "stuff" all around me. I still have a handkerchief and a sweater that belonged to my grandmother and it took me nearly 2 years to get the courage to wash them.  I just couldn't bear thought of not being able to smell her perfume that still lingered on both of them.  Sometimes, I would miss her so much, that I would go retrieve them from my dresser and just sit and smell them.  They smelled like her.  It made me happy.  I could close my eyes and see her sitting there, wearing that red sweater, clutching that hankie in her hand, or maybe tucking it back under the sleeve of that special sweater.  After a couple years of this practice, I began to notice that the "smell" that reminded me of her, was beginning to diminish, but somehow, that didn't matter anymore, because the memories were still there and I no longer needed my ritual to bring her back into my mind.  So, I donated most of what I had left to a shelter.  I kept that red sweater and the special hankie.  I don't need all that other "stuff" to bring her back into my mind.

We all have those things that make us smile, and we all have "stuff" that we don't need to exist, and their continued possession boils down to 1 simple philosophy, and that is wants vs needs.

We need food, we need water, we need a safe, warm place to live.  We need love and companionship.  We "want" all the stuff, and if you stop and think about it, you will pretty well figure out, that you don't really need it to live.  Its existence is not keeping you alive, and in many cases, it might be destroying that life, because the expense of the "stuff", it's unorganized existence in your life, may actually be causing you undue stress and
confusion.  Your "stuff" could actually be making you sick!  Think about that...

Okay, I'm done.  This hasn't been one of my typical, spiritually based blogs, but when you get down to the nitty gritty, it is.  After all, God provides what we need to live, here and now and gave His only Son for us so that we would also be able to live eternally.  The other "stuff" we want can often get in the way of that and confuse us.  Your "wants" won't hurt you (thanks, Mother!  I really did learn that one!)...and ultimately, you can't take that "stuff" with you.

It's just "STUFF" after all.  And, in spite of what you think, it's not gonna do you a darn bit of good later.

Bye ya'll.  It feels good to be back.  I've missed writing and sharing with you.  Have a good one and before you are compelled to add another layer to that "stack of stuff", think about it first and let the One that put you here help you to put yourself back together...

God bless you guys.  Gotta go, I think there's a stack of magazines I need to throw away...good start, don't you think!

Kaye

Little Mermaid, Ice Cream Cone Socks and A Cross for My Grandma

Today is Easter Sunday, a day of rejoicing in a risen Lord and celebrating the promise of tomorrows that we have because of Him.  It has also been a day filled with wonderful memories for me.  Once they started, it seemed like one just kept leading to another and I think I have pretty much smiled all day long.  Church was a great blessing, and after a quick hello to my husband's family, I hit the road and spent the afternoon with my mom and dad.  We had a wonderful time, and my Daddy was awesome today, looked good, joking, making faces and just making me giggle on the inside at his antics. It was good to see the smile on my mother's face as she enjoyed his efforts as much as I did.  She is his angel on earth and I admire her so much for everything she does for him and to encourage him.  Two very special people and it was absolutely wonderful to have them all to myself today!

It takes an hour to travel from my house to theirs and on my solo drives, I like to crank up the radio on the Christian music station and have one of my on-the-road-again talks with God and that's pretty much what I did today, both trips.  I talk, He listens, I smile and I know He does too.  After the wonderful day that I had, I just had to tell Him thank you for so many things, but especially the the memories of the special people in my life and how very thankful I was for each and every one of them, especially the ones that are already living in His Kingdom.

On December 14, 1989, I lost my Grandpa.  It is a day I won't ever forget.  He had been so sick for such a long time and he was so frail, but he wanted to live to celebrate his 80th birthday, which he did, and then he let go and made his final journey to be with God.  I remember the phone call, I didn't want to hear what was being said, but do any of us?  I had made the trip to Ohio just a couple of weeks earlier to see him, and some how, I knew that would be the last time.  My 4 year old princess was his doll baby and he loved her so much.  Before we left that last visit, he took her tiny hands in his and "waltzed" with her one last time.  That is my last memory of my Grandpa.  When the phone call came, it was not necessarily that it was unexpected, we knew, but at that very moment, it just became sadly real and almost unbearable.  It was the first time in a long, long time that I lost someone very special to me.

It's funny, the things that we remember when we think about loved ones that are no longer with us.  My husband and daughter and I joined my parents and brother and made the trip to Ohio for Grandpa's services.  My tiny dancer had a good memory of her Great Grandpa from our recent trip and I just didn't think she needed to be a part of the sadness and grief that would be part of his services, so it was decided that my husband would stay with her and they would have a special day all their own.  He took her to the movies and they went to see Disney's "Little Mermaid".  To this day, when I think about that trip, I don't remember the funeral, other than the ice and snow, but I remember "Little Mermaid" and my jubilant 4 year old and I remember her dancing with him just a couple of weeks before.  I can hear her singing "Under the Sea" in that tiny little voice that Grandpa loved so much.  Hmmm, makes me smile when I think about it.

I think I've shared with you in earlier blogs about how close I was to my mother's parents.  There were times that we shared a home with them, or lived a couple of blocks away.  Closeness was not always distance, but definitely always a special bond.  And, because I was the first, I had some special times with them.  I was the ONLY grandchild for over ten years, and my grandparents really did spoil me rotten.  I had the opportunity to do things with them that none of the other grandkids got to do.  I traveled with them a lot, and I had many first experiences with them like eating lobster with drawn butter and being serenaded by strolling violinists in a very fancy restaurant; oops'es like getting a fish hook caught in my Grandpa's thumb, learning to handle a little boat on a lake by myself (including getting stuck on the other side of the lake with a flooded motor), listening to his sermons, attending business meetings, rotary and visiting people that pinched my cheeks that weren't family!  Oh, and they even got to see me do a dolphin show once.  That was really cool.  I even have a picture of Grandpa petting one of my dolphins when I worked in Kansas City.  Well, you get the idea. Growing up was just that much more special because of the times that I got to spend with them, in more ways than one.

After Grandpa passed away, Grandma lived by herself for a while, and at some point, I don't remember exactly when, Grandma started dividing her time between my aunt's home in Ohio and my parent's home in Georgia.  She would go back and forth between the two.  Sometimes, when she was in Georgia, she would even come and stay with us for 2 or 3 weeks at a time.  We had so much fun, but especially if it was a holiday like Easter.  We dyed eggs and made suet pudding, a true delicacy in my family that we haven't had in years, because Grandma made it from scratch and the recipe was in her head!  There were things that Grandma and I did together that still make me smile, eating liver and onions being one of those!  I know, most of you are probably making a face right now.  My memory, I won't make you try it, so don't worry.  My grandmother, my mother and I are liver lovers!  Makes our cheeks rosy!

One particular Easter, Grandma came out to stay with us.  We crammed so much into just a few short days.  From making sure we got around to eat all of our favorites like the cole slaw at Chickfila, to liver and onions at Shoney's, dipped ice cream cones from Dairy Queen and the wonderful meals we made together, we just had the best time.  My 2 kids loved it when she came out here and often, while I was in the kitchen, she would have my son on the couch next to her, reading a book to him or watching cartoons and pretending that she understood what was going on.  Special bonds that made memories to last a lifetime.  Grandma was a spirited lady and she raised my mother to be the same way and my mother raised me the same way and I passed those same lessons on to my own daughter.  My mother still says that if the 4 of us were together, there would be nothing we couldn't accomplish!  She's right!

Grandma's health eventually began to decline.  Physically, she wasn't in great shape, but mentally, she stayed sharp as a tack until her final days.  One year, she suffered a hip injury from a pretty bad fall and after days in the hospital, they sent her to a rehabilitation center for her to continue recuperating.  That is where I found myself this morning and where this special memory begins.  I had finished getting ready for church and just needed a necklace.  Without even a second thought, I grabbed the first silver chain that I came to and pulled it out and dangling from the center of the chain, was a simple white gold cross with tiny gold lacings in the center.  It wasn't always mine, but, seeing it brought me such a smile.

One year for an anniversary gift, my husband gave me a cross, just like the one above.  I had other crosses, made from every material you can think of and each one more striking than the one before and for its own reason.  I even have one from the Vatican that had been blessed by Pope John Paul.  But none were near as special as this one.  I liked it because it was simple.  In the early spring of the year that followed that gift, we made a trip to Ohio to visit Grandma when she was recuperating.  I hadn't seen her in such a long time, but when we walked into her room, it was if no time had passed and I sat on her bed and we talked and visited and acted silly.  We sneaked in some fast food and ice cream for her too.  On that particular trip, she noticed my cross and gently lifted it away from neck for a closer look.  Her arthritic fingers gently rubbed its smooth surface and she told me how pretty it was and she too, liked it because it was simple.  From the cross on my chain, her glance went up and down as she studied me and she ended up looking at my feet and laughing.  "Kaye Lynn, what do you have on your feet?"   So, I grinned and showed off my silly socks with ice cream cones all over them.  And, she liked them and teased me and told me she wanted a pair. Visits being what they are, it ended all too soon and knowing that we were heading back to Georgia the next morning, I gave my Grandma a big hug and told her how much I loved her and whispered to her that I would try and find her a cross like mine.  

My promise proved to be a challenge.  It took a lot of phone calls and trips to the Christian book stores all over Atlanta, but after trying for a couple of weeks, I was able to find the last cross like mine in the entire city, making it even more special and I shared the story behind the search with the clerk in the store.  It made her tear up and we ended up talking about her grandmother as well.  But I had kept my promise and the cross would soon be on its way to Ohio.

You should know by now, that I have an ornery streak a mile long, and you should have also figured out by now that the gift package wasn't complete!  Of course not, I had to find her a pair of ice cream cone socks too!  You get some silly looks when you tell sales clerks that you are buying ice cream cone socks for your 94 year old grandmother!  Shopping complete, wrapped up and on its way to Ohio to bring a smile to my Grandma's face.

My spunky 94 year old Grandma got a kick out of those socks and she actually wore them!   But, the real special part of the gift was the cross and it made me very happy to know that she wore it all the time.  It was yet one more special thing that we shared, and something that will make me smile for a long time, which brings me back to this morning.  That simple cross ended up gently grasped in my fingers and for just a moment, I closed my eyes and saw my Grandma's smile and heard her laugh and call me Kaye Lynn.  What a wonderful way to start a day, especially Easter Sunday.  It wasn't until a few weeks after she passed away in 2004, that the nursing home contacted my aunt to let her know that they had some more of Grandma's belongings that they wanted to return to us.  One of those things was the cross that was a gift that I gave to her and it came back to me to cherish forever. Tucked away in some of her clothes was the infamous ice cream socks with her name typed onto a laundry tag on the foot of each one.

Seven years later, when I saw that cross glistening in my palm, it was like receiving a new gift because of the joy that rushed into my heart when I put it on and just smiled and whispered " I love you, Grandma".

Isn't it wonderful the way that God blesses us with those special moments, and sometimes when we seem to need them the most, they take us back in time and let us re-live cherished times with special people.  We all have that one little something that brings special people back to us in our hearts and minds.  Today, mine was a cross for my Grandma.

Today is Easter Sunday.  It's been a good day.  It's been a day filled with memories, rejoicing, family and beginnings.  I hope that over the past three days, that you've also had some of those special moments.  I hope that you've had the opportunity to reflect upon the greatness of the gift of these last three days and the time to be thankful for the tomorrows that we have because He lives!  Remember the hymn "Because He Lives"?  I hope yours was as blessed as mine has been and that you know that you know that you know that because He lives, YOU really can face tomorrow.

Rejoice!  He Is Risen!  Easter blessings to you and yours, and as always, In Christ Jesus, love to you all,

Kaye Lynn

Grandma, this is for you....I love you!

Don't Make Me Stop This Car, Obedience and Tomorrows...

Highway is jam packed with cars.  Duh, this is Atlanta after all.  You see vague images of items flying across the back seat.  A loud "OW".  "Mom, he hit me.  Mom, make him stop looking at me.  Mom, his feet are on my side.  Mom, make him stop!"  And then, a loud, raucous "AM NOT!".  I love my children, but I do not miss those days.  What's even worse is that I can remember being the kid in that back seat and saying some of those things.  What comes next?  Well, if you have children, you should know (and don't try to pretend that yours are perfect and have never done this.  We all know better!).  Well, what comes next is this, THE LOOK, THAT "MOM" STARE INTO THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, and then, wait for it, here it comes, "DON'T MAKE ME PULL THIS CAR OVER".  Oh, she didn't just go there.  Yes, she did!  We all got in trouble when we got home.  It was inevitable.  Oh, and as far as the look, well, my mother had it mastered, I''m not to bad at it myself and my daughter, well, she doesn't even have children yet, and she is working on perfecting "that" look!  It works, really, really well, at least until the "next" round.

This all came to mind this morning as I was making my Wednesday jaunt to Woodstock.  I couldn't help but notice the children in the SUV next to us at a light.  Obviously, Mom was delivering their precious little souls to school, but at that very moment, there was nothing precious about them.  I couldn't hear them, but I could tell by the flying school book and lunch bag, that there was mischief abounding in the back seat of that Honda.  And then, it happened.  With one instantaneous reaction, those 2 kids fell still and I'm assuming quiet and as I changed my glance to the driver's seat, I saw the Momma with the pointed finger shaking over the seat back and eyes with fire in them as she threatened those two little darlings with their very existence!  Yep, she went there too!  I bet those kids are going to have a serious Sunday school session when they get home from school.  Bless their little hearts and God bless that Momma for having mastered the Look, the Point, and THE PHRASE - Don't Make Me Stop This Car!

How many times have we reminded our own children about that Big #5, the Commandment that says "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."  You know, there is no disputing it, those words and all the ones before and after, from God's lips to Moses to cast in stone and pass down to all of God's children forever.

How many times have our children disobeyed and not done their chores or cleaned a cat pan, or argued with us about unloading the dishwasher because they hadn't reached a saving point in their game?  How many times have we all disobeyed God and done our own thing because that is what we wanted to do?

Obedience, honor - two relatively simple words, but they pack a punch for everyone of us, every single day of our lives.

We are not perfect, and there is but one before us that is, and that is Jesus Christ.  Just imagine, one day he rode into town and people were cheering and waving palms and bowing at His very presence.  Just a few short days later, he shared the Passover Meal, The Last Supper with His disciples.  Jesus is the Passover Lamb and He reveals to His disciples that the Passover is "fulfilled in Him".  He knows that it is His Father's will that He offer Himself up for redemption and deliverance.  Remember that tiny babe in the manger - born to wear a crown of thorns?  God was soon to offer up His only Son as a sacrifice for us, for our disobedience, or dishonor, or sins.  The most incredible gift ever and it was and is for us.

The first Passover is described in Exodus, Chapter 12.  A lamb was slain for every household.  The lamb's blood was washed over the door frame so as to let the Angel of Death know to "passover" that household and not claim the first born son of a Jewish home but instead, those children in Pharoah's temple.  God warned the Pharoah, but he did not listen and went about his business, only to find that his own son was claimed by death.  After the lamb was slain and the home protected by the blood of the lamb, God commanded that the children of Israel make a meal of the lamb and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, but to do so in haste as they were to soon start their journey out of Egypt and bondage in slavery to the Pharoah.  God commanded the children of Israel to commemorate this day every year by celebrating with the Passover Feast or the Seder meal.

So here sits Jesus, centered with His disciples.  After He washes their feet, he begins the Seder meal and tells the stories of the 4 cups in the meal and the meal concludes with the feast of the lamb, but it is what He did after that that has become a part of our faith ritual in the Christian church.  Jesus explained the meal and its meaning.  He told His disciples that He was Himself, the Lamb of God.  He offered them bread and wine telling them "this is My Body, My Blood" Do this in remembrance of Me."  Jesus knew of the forthcoming betrayal, He knew of the fate that awaited Him, and yet.....He was obedient.

Before the meal concluded, Judas left the feast.  He went to meet the priests and accepted 30 pieces of silver 

in exchange for his betrayal of his Lord.  

Jesus made the journey to the garden at Gethsemane at the base of the Mount of Olives.  With a heavy heart and an overwhelming sadness, He knelt in the garden and wept and prayed.  He knew of what was to come. He prayed three times and He prayed so hard that He sweat profusely.  Jesus had to make the choice as to continue with His earthly ministry with so many things He wanted to still do, or to obey His Father and accept death on the cross for our sins.  Such an incredible choice to have to make, but, He chose obedience to bear our guilt and the sins of the whole world.  He put His wishes aside and obeyed His Father's will.  

In Luke 22:42-44 (King James Version), ⁴²Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.  ⁴³And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

 ⁴⁴And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

As Jesus ended His prayer, there was noise and commotion in the garden and He was soon surrounded by a large group of soldiers and priests who were there to arrest Him for a crime that He didn't commit.  With a simple kiss from Judas, He was exposed the the soldiers.  He could have run, He could have performed a miracle and saved Himself, but yet, He loved us so much, that He offered Himself willingly to the soldiers when they told Him they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth.  Without hesitation, He courageously answered "I AM HE".  His answer was so strong that the Bible tells of the group being knocked off their feet by the power of His simple words.

With a kiss and three simple words, He was betrayed, surrendered and bound over to the soldiers.  The priests of the temple had already condemned Him to death, but they knew they had to take Jesus before Pilate before they could follow through with the death sentence.   Jesus was dragged into Pilate's court.  Pilate questioned Jesus as to who He was, He asked of His crime, He asked of His title of King.  When Pilate asked Jesus if He was a King, Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this, I was born; and for this, I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears My voice."  Jesus had already  endured countless hours of torture, beatings, being kicked, and floggings with a cat of nine tails 39 times.  But His time in court was not over.  Pilate found that Jesus was a preacher of truth and a teacher, not a criminal.  Pilate knew the Truth on his heart, but wanting to have this out of his hands, he had the soldiers take Jesus to King Herod for sentencing.  Herod was also in Jerusalem at that time and as Jesus was dragged before him, Herod also knew that Jesus was guilty of no crime, and as a sign of respect for this condemned King, Herod had Him wrapped in a fine cloak as a sign of His innocence and Jesus was sent back to Pilate.  

Before Pilate, was a known criminal named Barabbas.  Barabbas had committed such crimes that the penalty for his crimes was crucifixion.  As Pilate stood before this ever growing crowd of people, he knew only that he did not want the fate of Jesus on his hands solely and with Barabbas, a true criminal before him, and Jesus the Christ, guilty of no crime, Pilate looked at the throngs of people and told them it was up to them to chose which prisoner would be released and which one would suffer death on the cross.  With fervor, the crowd screamed over and over, release Barabbas, crucify Jesus.  Crucify Him. Crucify Him.  And so it was.

Beatings, the regal cloak ripped and torn, a crown of thorns thrust onto his already bleeding brow, Jesus was led away.  A heavy, rough-hewn cross was laid upon his bloody back and He was commanded to bear the weight of that cross as He made His way back through town on the path known so well as the Via Dolorosa.  His back, gashed and ripped open, blood running down His face and body, Jesus struggled under the weight and pain and carried His ultimate fate to Golgotha.  He fell three times.  He saw His mother in the crowd as she wept for her Son.  The Soldiers ordered Simon of Cyrene to help Jesus bear the weight of the cross.  Jesus stopped and offered comfort to the weeping daughters of Jerusalem.  Before He is uprighted on the cross, the Roman soldiers bid for His clothes and they were stripped from His body.  His "cross to bear" was uprighted after He was nailed at hands and feet.  His already bleeding side was pierced with a sword.  The weight of His body hanging from His nailed hands and feet, made it difficult for Him to breathe.  A rugged sign was made declaring Him as King of the Jews - INRI.  With each breath that He took, He drew closer and closer to death, yet in His last moments, He found the strength, the love, the passion, the forgiveness to speak one last time to His Father and simply say "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do".  And then, He offered up His last breath and died on the cross.  The four Gospels differ in what is told of Jesus' last words.  But in John 19:30, "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

God didn't have to snap His fingers and point.  He didn't have to give Jesus "the look" or threaten to pull over the car.  He told His son of His will and Jesus obeyed, He prayed and prayed again.  He gained strength from the Angel that appeared to Him.  He submitted willingly to His father's will and not His own - Thy will, not my will.  And, He did it for us.  It was written in red.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life...

Written in red, for you and for me.  God loves us all and Jesus loves us so much that He willingly obeyed His Father for us...

This past Sunday, the Chancel Choir at our church presented their Easter Cantata, Written In Red.  It was beautiful, but the song itself is powerful, and to close this today, no more stories, no more conversations, just listen.  Remember, by His stripes, we are healed.  We serve a Risen Lord!  Christ is risen, Allelujah!
Happy and blessed Easter to you all,
Love,
Kaye

Dream Journeys, Vacation Memories and Tomorrows!

One of these days, my husband and I will both be retired and we can travel, (if our knees hold out!).  There are places in this world that I have always wanted to visit, Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, the South Pacific area and The Holy Land.   Every once in while, I look at travel sites and I dream a little as I take that mental journey to those incredible places, but, I am always brought back to reality by a barking dog or one of many cell phones ringing some where in the house.  It is so easy to get lost in pictures and videos online.  Ahhhh, some day.

I have family members that have traveled to all 4 corners of the globe and places in between.  Some of them have been to Israel and Palestine, on a mission trip of sorts.  I look forward to making that journey myself someday and experiencing first hand, the stations of the cross as I walk down the Via Dolorosa.  One of the stations is now even a Muslim girls' school and pilgrims to the area are not even allowed inside the area to see or worship.  The second station where Jesus received his cross to carry, is now a chapel and is called the Church of the Condemnation.  As you journey on to Golgotha, there are 12 more stations, some are visible, some not, and some have little prayer areas for people to be still in the silence and prayer and listen in their hearts to the sounds of nearly 2000 years ago.  The last four stations are the ones that most travelers want to see and experience because they house the tomb where Jesus was buried and Golgotha.  If you ever have the chance to make the journey, don't be surprised at the surroundings.  I have had people tell me that you don't even realize that you are walking the path, because today, it is a busy market place with lots of noisy people everywhere.  Sounds like just about any touristy place in any well visited corner of the United States.

These days, my husband and I are home bodies.  Gasoline prices are insane and at almost $60.00 to fill my 14 gallon tank on my car, I make as few trips as possible, as I would imagine you do as well.  We incorporate as many stops into one trip as we can to conserve.  When I was growing up, my parents took us on loooonnnnng vacations all over the USA and parts of Canada.  Those are some of my fondest memories, yes Daddy, even the camping!  We could go into an area that had been drought stricken and by noon the next day, they had all the water they needed and we had a soggy tent!  I've been in tents and campers for more storms in my life than I can count, including a tornado as we were camped atop a hill in Cheyenne, Wyoming in the middle of July.  We kind of got used to the smell of wet canvas and packing up or running to the car for shelter.  My Mother's rule was camp out for a couple of nights and then we camped out in a Holiday Inn - hot showers, soft beds and a swimming pool that didn't have crawly things in it.  Loved those nights!  The tent nights were fun too, but there's nothing like a good old fashioned hot bath to melt the campground grundge away.

In 1986, my parents, my husband and I made a July trip to visit Disney World.  It was close to the time that Epcot opened, so there were a lot of new things to see and do.  Let me offer you some advice.  DONT' TENT CAMP IN FLORIDA IN JULY!  Beautiful campgrounds on Disney property, but in July, there is just no way to stay cool when you are tent camping.  My daughter was not quite a year old on this trip.  My parents had a tiny little travel trailer with a screened room that attached.  The inside had a bunk and a couch area that made into a small bed.  My Dad and my husband were such gentlemen.  They put cots in the screened room and slept outside while my Mother, daughter and I slept on the actual beds in the trailer.  I love my Daddy dearly, but he used to have this thing about not totally setting up so it was a quick break down when we left.  Every time I moved in the bed, the whole little trailer shook and rattled.  We found out why the next morning.  Daddy had not put the additional support legs down that stabilized the whole trailer,  it was a time saving strategy for when we packed up.  Love you Daddy.  I don't think I will ever forget that.  Here we are, dinner is over, long day in the Magic Kingdom, we are all exhausted and HOT.  My dad and my husband are sleeping on their cots in the screen room.  If you've ever been in a commercial campground, you probably know first hand that you get real chumy with your next door neighbors, because they are literally mere inches from your doorstep, your tent or your restless body on a cot on a steamy July night in central Florida.  Image in your mind, now, add serious snoring to that and then add neighbors rattling a can of rocks to disrupt the snoring men that were oblivious to the rattling rocks and the neighborly campers trying to get them to WAKE UP, roll over and stop snoring!.

Yes, fun times on camping trips and some unforgettable ones, too!  Ohio has some wonderful state parks, many with beautiful lakes, great fishing and awesome campgrounds.  I guarantee you that my brother will never forget one in particular.  Cowan Lake State Park.  When he was 4 or 5, he picked up a hot coal from our campfire and we spent the night in the ER while they took care of his blistered little hands.  A couple of years later, he somehow managed to roll around, squirm and gradually slip out between the canvas sides of the camper and the bottom of the frame.  There he was, dangling over a ravine, sound asleep!  We were so blessed that he didn't wake up and panic and slip on out and down the hill.

We have had some wonderful travels.  Such great memories, but I am really looking forward to those grown up trips that my husband and I can take in a few short years.

There is another kind of journey that we can all experience.  This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday.  On this day, the church celebrates Jesus' arrival into the city of Jerusalem, and the beginning of Holy Week, starting with His condemnation, His public torment, His painful journey bearing the weight of a rugged cross on an already beaten and flogged back, His passionate journey on the Via Dolorosa.  The 14 Stations of the Cross, 14 parts of the journey to the cross and the events that followed and finally the 14th station, the tomb where His body was laid.

You know, it would be such an incredible spiritual journey to be able to visit those places in the Holy Land and see and feel His presence in those places; to kneel and pray in those rugged corners where maybe He fell while carrying the cross or saw His mother in the crowd, or spoke to the weeping women.  It would be an incredible experience to feel His spirit there with us.  Quiet prayer along the Via Dolorosa.  But in reality, we don't have to take a plane to Israel to find that peace, that love, that passion that He blesses us all with, every single moment of every single day, right where we stand, no matter where we are.  Join me and take that journey.  It starts with a prayer, it starts with wanting to be a better person, it starts with confession and your own willingness to take up the cross, and then that journey continues with every breath and step you take for the rest of your life. We each have our own stations of the cross and sorrows and passions and joy and love that is simply put - LIFE.  Live it the right way.  Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday, was buried, but HE rose from the dead on the third day, the day that we now call Easter.  He died for OUR sins, our imperfections.  He died that we might be forgiven.  Easter's coming!  Salvation is on the horizon and it is yours and mine to have for an eternity.  You just have to ask.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all walk the walk and share His passion and be the kind of people that He wants us to be!

I wrote at Christmas time, that we wouldn't have Christmas without Easter.  That is just the way God planned it.  I hope you see now what I meant.  You couldn't have one without the other.

Life's a journey, some of them, we spend in tents on mountain tops or steamy Florida campgrounds.  Some of them we spend visiting exotic places all around the world.  Some of them, we get to experience the wonders of the world.  The most important journey that any of us can take, is the one when we reach out for the Hand of God.  You don't need a travel agent or a credit card or a passport, just the desire to have a personal relationship with your Creator and try to live your life the way that He wants you to.

Merry Christmas, Happy Easter and enjoy your journey....the rewards are indescribable!

May you experience through prayer the meaning and the passion behind every day in the next week and celebrate Easter with me as we celebrate a Risen Lord on Easter Sunday.  May you share the joy of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem as the crowd hailed Him with palm branches and Hosannas.  May you begin to realize the scorn and suffering that He endured for us, for our tomorrows.  May you come to know the passion and the love and the forgiveness that He let shine for us, for our tomorrows as He took His last breath.  "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."  Take a breath and take your own journey down your own Via Dolorosa....and may you find His passion there waiting for you....

Blessings and the peace and love of Christ to you and your family during this Holy Week and the days that follow.  God loves you and so do I,

Katydid

96 Rolls of TP, Heroes and Being Ready for Tomorrow

Beautiful picture, isn't it.  God's hands holding our fragile planet.  Don't let my title deceive you.  This is a story about surprises and how they affect us, especially when we are not prepared for them.

The past couple of months, Georgia's weather has lost its mind!  I looked at my calendar in the office this morning and realized that it has only been a few short weeks since we had our January Freeze In.  Parts of Atlanta were frozen in by the layers of sleet and ice that fell on top of the snow.   It was really weird.  You could drive a distance of only a mile or two (if you were one of the lucky ones who had salted and sanded streets) and be in an area that virtually had no ice, no snow.  This past winter was one of records and wonder and aggravation that it took so long to clear streets.  We had snow on Christmas Day for the first time in over 130 years.  We had ice and snow in January that shut our area down for days on end.  TWICE!  The crust on the snow reminded me of marshmallow fluff or that cooked icing that you see on wonderful coconut cakes.  It was so pretty, really really pretty.

My toes and finger tips stayed numb and they would sting, but the smile on my face under my red chilly nose was as big as Kansas.  I had so much fun being a kid again.  I went and played in the snow that fell before it froze and turned into a frozen land of marshmallow fluff.  It was beautiful.  My creative side took lots of "artsy" pictures of berries, pine cones  and magnolia leaves that were coated in a thin layer of ice.  It was truly a winter wonderland!  It all reminded me so much of growing up in northern Ohio and the winters that we had up there.

All of the schools in every county around Atlanta closed, businesses closed, even the government offices - and some for a week or more!  Those poor kids are going to be going to school until 4th of July to make up the missed days.  We don't get crazy winter weather like this very often and we just are not prepared for it.  One of the downfalls here is the lack of snow removal equipment.  This isn't the arctic after all, and not every little town (our big one for that matter) has all of the equipment that they need.   Georgia probably has the same number of snow plows and ice trucks for the whole state that Ohio has in just one of its towns.  It just doesn't happen that often and when they started forecasting this stuff about a week before, people didn't really take it to heart because historically, they are wrong more than they are right, so no one really paid attention until the writing was on the wall and the cars were in ditches.  Oops, too late!  So, everyone made a mad dash to the store for their bread, milk and toilet paper.  Apparently, someone decided that those were the important commodities to stock up on.  Brings on a mental image of bread, milk and toilet paper sandwiches.  Groceries were packed, hardware stores had lines to buy sleds and salt for de-icing, and of course, we all made that trek to our local store for those important "sandwich" fixin's.  By Monday night, there wasn't any on store shelves, because the delivery trucks were stuck on the interstate and couldn't get the orders in.  And my husband used to tease me about stocking up on stuff at Sam's.  Not any more!  Never hurts to plan ahead, you never know, you just never know.

Okay, cold weather story told, but since then, we have had hot, cold, hot, cold, tornadoes, weather sirens, bright sunny days, more tornadoes, more crispy mornings followed by 80 degree afternoons.  How do you prepare, what do you wear, sweaters in the morning, short sleeves in the afternoon.  Now, you know, this isn't going to drag on about snow and ice, sweaters and toilet paper, and as usual, there's another part of this story.  It may be difficult for you to read some of this, but it is part of the story, our story, today and tomorrow.

Weather, yes, unpredictable!  Emergency supplies, a necessity!  Remember those months and those first few years after 9/11.  One of the most devastating events in the modern history of our country, of the world.  It left us all numb, fearful and mistrusting of many many people.  The alert levels went up and down like yo-yos, we were told to have emergency water and supplies, plastic sheeting, duct tape, first aid supplies and more.  The list seemed endless.  I was afraid to fly for a long time.  A lot of you probably were.  We all lived in fear of it happening again.  Who knows, it might.  I've learned a lot the past ten years, about people, about myself, about faith, love and forgiveness.  I've learned that no matter how much planning you have done, there is always the possibility that the unexpected could and probably would happen.

During the past decade, we have seen multiple earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, tornadoes, floods and more - all of which are natural disasters.  9/11 was man created and man delivered and was a disaster of hatred and intimidation.  It was a day we will never forget.  Children lost parents, some of them were even too young to remember them.  Sweethearts said goodbye and whispered I love you one last time and as we all gasped at the surreal images that we saw over and over again.  Lives were changed forever.  Nearly 3000 lives were ended in a matter of "moments".  You remember, you saw the pictures, the videos.  We've heard the stories and we have lived in a time of uncertainty every day since.

The stories of husbands and wives, lovers, friends, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, moms and dads,  knowing at last moment, that they were not going to make it.  Calls were made, messages left and prayers said as so many of those people took their last breath and faced their death, some very courageously.

There were heroes that day.  Fireman, Police officers, men and women from all branches of our military, and civilians.

One month ago, the world watched as an earthquake of unfathomable power, followed by a tsunami that brought more devastation to the island of Japan.  A year ago, a massive earthquake struck in Haiti.  This tiny island still hasn't recovered.  In February of this year, an earthquake hit New Zealand, and now Japan.  In the aftermath, the nuclear catastrophe that is developing day by day, has now been classified as a level 7, just like Chernobyl, many years ago.

There were heroes that day.  Fireman, Police officers, men and women from all branches of our military, and civilians.

We never know what each day brings for us.  We never know if a tree will fall on a car we are travelling in, or lightning hit our home.  We never know when and and at what exact moment, our "time" will come.  We never know how or why.  What we have to know, is that there is Someone there to take our hand and lead us home.  There is Someone there to ease our pain, our sadness, our sorrow when that time comes for someone we love.

During that snowstorm in January, we were ready.  We had more than half of a super pack of the quilted double roll stuff.  I did my normal grocery shopping the Thursday before the storm hit and we had 4 gallons of milk and 2 loaves of bread.  By the following Wednesday, we were able to get to the store in our truck.  We were lucky, we were ready.

There were heroes that helped people dig out of the ditches they ran into on the slick roads, and heroes that worked 18 hour days to spread sand and salt on the city streets.

September 2009, we experienced a thousand year flood in Georgia.  People had minutes to evacuate their homes.  Grocery stores flooded and washed out food was found several hundred miles south in the Chattahoochee river.  There are still people that are homeless as a result of that flood.  This year, there have been catastrophic weather anomalies all over the world and in every single one, there were people that spent their last moments in fear and reaching out.  There were heroes those days.  Fireman, Police officers, men and women from all branches of our military, and civilians.

So, here we are near the end of what has been an emotional blog to write.  But I think it is important for us to remember, not just the man made catastrophes, but the natural ones as well, and while we remember, we need to do a faith check up on ourselves and simply ask ourselves, Am I Ready?

Am I ready for that moment on that day?  Am I prepared?  It's not just about toilet paper and loaves of bread.  It's not just about starting over....it's about being spiritually ready for tomorrow.

Are you ready for your tomorrow?  Do you know the One that will be there to take your hand and guide you home or will you be ready to ask Him if you have time in that split second that your life reaches its climax?  Will there be time to ask or will it be too late?

Just sayin', it's not all about tp, milk and bread........

Go hug and kiss your family, or call them and let them know how much you love them and remember, just remember....God loves you.

Rejoicing in my tomorrows that Jesus made possible for me and you,

love to you all,

Kaye

ps - this video and music piece is emotional, but please take time to listen to it....it will help you...to remember and also to rejoice in your Creator...

Shobee Do, I Wanna Be Like You Oo Oo - Paging Dr. Freud!

"Oh, oobee doo, I wanna be like you oo oo, I wanna walk like you, Talk like you, oo oo too.  You'll see it's true."   Do those lyrics sound familiar?  Well, think back to 1967 with a crazy orangutan, a big lovable bear and an orphaned jungle boy.  Remember now?  That's right.  Disney's Jungle Book.  Of course by now, for those of you that weren't around in 1967, I'm fairly certain that you have it on DVD or the old fashioned format - VHS.   

Since this song popped into my head a few days ago, I really should explain why.  The thanks goes to my really cool kid, my wonderful, wonderful son, the closet psychologist, the junior professor and all around incredible person, has done it again!  He left me speechless with a humina humina humina look on my face and a lack of immediate response as I retook control of my car and averted from driving off the road!

He analyzes everyone and everything around him.  Some days, it drives me absolutely nuts.  Others, I just sit back and marvel at this gift he has for putting things in perfect perspective, and that my friends, is exactly what happened a few days ago.

Early on, we knew he was special, and where some kids excelled in sports, he didn't.  He wasn't always the most popular kid or the coolest kid when he was younger, and because of that, there were a lot of days that he just sat back, looked at the world and formulated his opinions, about EVERYTHING!  But, he has always been taught that for any lack of ability that he may have in one area, God gave him amazing gifts in others and he proves that point on a daily basis.  I admire him so much for that, but also for his innate honesty, gentle nature, his meticulous care about anything he is passionate about, and most of all, for his ability to just be himself.  I really wish you could know him.  He is such a cool kid and he makes me a very proud mama.

One day last week, we were driving home from an outing and he pops up out of silence and says "mom, can we talk about something?"  "Sure son, what's up?"  At that point, he sat up straight and ended his period of sitting stunningly quiet for several minutes and he put his Dr. Freud hat on and began to analyze people places and things from some of his encounters of the week.  He is much like me and uses way too many words when only a few will do, but he usually does put everything into obvious perspective and very much, to the point.  

That "mom, can we talk about something?" from past experiences tells me we are in for a long drawn out deeply intellectual conversation.  Sometimes, if the timing is not right, It's not unusual that I stop him in his tracks and tell him to take his professor hat off and just be my son, my video game, music loving, tech school son.  For what it's worth, you don't need the blow by blow details, but on this particular day, I got an earful, not to mention a brain overload and the more I thought about, the more I marveled at this deduction.

Let's just call it EPD, and it wouldn't be me or Lifes Morsels if the EPD, didn't lead into "the rest of the story".  So here goes!  In his words, and I quote "mom, in my educated way of thinking, I believe and feel very strongly about this, that so and so suffers from Emulative Personality Disorder...."

"WHAT"  I about ran the car off the edge of the road.  Where did that come from?  When did my child graduate 4 years of college, attend grad school and get a degree in psychology?  Son, where have you heard that term?"  "No where, but mom, it's perfectly obvious to me.  Seriously mom, it's so obvious!"

Okay, okay.  Had he made that up?  Was it real?  I asked him to explain his "diagnosis", and this is what I got.  Who knows, he may have learned this because of some video game...who knows.

"Okay mom, I will make this easy for you."  (Should I smack him now or later for that remark or just let it ride this time?)  My own curiousity led me to let it ride - THIS TIME.  "Mom, do you know what emulate means?"  "Yes, son, I do.  What does it mean to you?"  "Well, it means to imitate someone or something and try and excel at what you're imitating."

At this point in time, I'm amazed, I'm thankful that I have not run the car up a tree and I'm kind of hoping that maybe, just maybe, he has this whole thing all wrong and I will have the task of explaining the word and it's meaning(s), but darn it, that wasn't going to happen!  He was spot on, 100% spot on and has once again, left me driving down the road with my mouth hanging wide open, literally searching for words.  Okay, I'm going to give him this one.  He's right, 100% right.  I was so befuddled by his comment, I actually went in the house, pulled up the online dictionary just to verify what he said so eloquently.  

Well, that incident aside, I've pondered his diagnosis over the past couple of days, and realized, that to a degree, we all have EPD, especially after I did some research on his newly coined term.  The term doesn't exist.  He created it, the condition and the diagnosis based solely on observation.  Wow!  Now I'm sure that some where out there, there is a licensed and degreed psychologist that is going to tell me that the condition is real, but is known as _____________ disorder.  Fill in the blanks, please!

What this means for him, is that he is some days, too smart for his own good, very intuitive and brilliant at discerning "issues" that affect other people.  What it means for me is that, now that my mouth is closed, I have realized that once again, this child that I have raised to be a handsome young man, may just be on the verge of being smarter than his mama, well at least about some things!  I think I need to study more!

Let's go back to my comment about all of us having EPD.  In Jungle Book, King Louie (the orangutan wanted to be like man, Mowgli wanted to be like Baloo and live in the Jungle, Baloo wanted to be Papa Bear.  So, think about it, we all at times want to be like someone else, and I am no exception.  Whatever happened to little girls being like "mommy" as they cared for their Tiny Tears doll or the Betsy Wetsy (really dating myself here!)  Now, our little girls aren't allowed by advertisers and entertainers to be "little girls".  They push them into emulating their favorite teen idol.  Some of them like to dress the part (not always appropriate), act like them (definitely  not always appropriate) and dance and sing their songs (which are also sometimes inappropriate).  Little boys turn into "punks" at an earlier age and take on that macho, tough guy persona that they see in their  favorite game characters, comic heroes, sports stars, musicians and more. 

Years pass, time seems to move a little more quickly as we age, and some times way too late, we realize that our children are growing up in a world that never stops, doesn't even slow down, a world that seems to promote a serious lack of morals.  And our children, well this is all thrust at them so intensely, that unless monitored and controlled, their minds are  often filled with  negative things that they begin to "emulate".

At the very "mature" age of 10, 13, 15 or so, that "I know it all, gonna do it my way or else attitude" kicks in with a fierceness.  In some kids, it's short lived.  In others, heaven help us all, it lasts for a decade or so.  But guess what, they all do eventually grow up, in spite of themselves.  And so do we as their parents.  In all honesty, I'm 57, and according to my mother, I haven't quite grown up YET!  But that's okay.  Our kids want to be older, and we would all love, some days especially, to be a little younger.  DON'T DENY IT!  You know you do!

Back to EPD.  Let's put a new spin on this whole emulative personality disorder thing and turn it around to be a positively awesome way to live our lives.  If you had one person, one existence, that you wanted to emulate, who, what would it be?

Dreams of grandiose homes with fabulous rooms and treasures, swimming pools, cars, trips around the world or to places that intrigue us; incredible wardrobes, perfect bodies, thick flowing hair, beautiful complexions, no money worries...those are just a few of the ideas that pop into any of our minds from time to time.

Put your breaks on for a moment.  If you had all of the above, then what?  What's next?  Who, what, where?  You've got all the worldly toys and qualities that you ever dreamed of, but there's still something missing.  So you dream some more, you search some more...

Yes, I would love to be free of money woes.  I want a living room that is big enough that I can have more than 5 guests at a time and have them not fall over each other in the process of sitting down.  I would love to have a professional kitchen with a 6 burner gas stove, flat top griddle, indoor grill, double professional ovens and enough cabinet space so that my counters were cleared off and spotless - a place for everything and everything in it's place.  I want a swimming pool, a fireplace that works, perfect hair, no dark circles under my eyes, a body that even the stars would envy, and so on and so on and so on.  I think you get the point.

BUT, so many of those things are just that, things.  When I take my final breath from life on this earth, "those" things aren't going with me.  They are staying here.  They might stay well kept, they might not.  Again, they are things, BUT, I wanted them, I wanted to emulate the people I know that had them, but they will do me no good.  Period.  They are just "things".  All the years that I have pined over a big professional grade kitchen, or having that sparkling blue oasis in my back yard, I wanted to emulate those that did have them and more often than not, felt cheated and envious because I didn't have them.  

Things, just things.  They are not priceless, they are not part of my treasures stored in Heaven.  They are all part of earthly "stuff".  Some of us have them, some of us don't.  

As for that thick head of long flowing perfect hair and tanned, honed body to go with it, guess what?  Those stay behind too!  As we take our last breath and begin our final journey, that for some of us, leads us to the gates of Heaven, we take on a new body, a perfect body, no pain, no problems, no dark circles, no thinning hair.  At that moment, as a Christian, we will for the first time in our lives, embody perfection.  Wow!

I look forward to someday walking and talking one to one and face to face with my Creator and having only perfect joyous days ahead of me without aches and pains and sorrows.

So, as you sit here reading this, I hope you've enjoyed yet one more tale from life with my boy.  But, I also hope that you've taken a moment or two to think about what's been said.  EPD!  Where are you with that phrase?  To whom, to what, or where does your own case of emulative personality disorder lead you - the right way or the hhmmm hmmmm way?  

Remember, you can't take it with you.  Choose the right path for your life?  Who do you want to "emulate"?  When you make the right decision(s) about who or what you want to "emulate", to be like, then those last two words "personality disorder" don't exist for you anymore, only that first fancy word that my incredibly smart and sensitive son tossed at me and that is simply "emulate" or "imitate".  I want to emulate Jesus...I don't want to be better than Him, but I sure do want to be like Him.  I already know the glory of the Lord, His forgiveness, His love.  I want to someday take that final journey to that place where I am welcomed with open arms by the One that knew me and everything about me before I was even a twinkle.  I want to live my earthly life in such a way that there is no doubt in anyone's mind about my final journey. 

Here's a thought for you in closing.  If you find yourself being envious or desiring things that are out of reach and more "wants" instead of "needs", replace everything on your list with a commitment to emulate love, decency, forgiveness, compassion, honesty and understanding.

As for right now, just go hug throw your arms around someone and tell them how special they are to you.  Whether it's your kids, your spouse, a brother or sister, your parents, a friend, co-worker, just do it.  #1, you will surprise the daylights out of them and they may very well think that you've lost your mind, but moreover, you may start something that has the potential for paying it forward and spreading to more and more.  Isn't that what's about?  Let them know just how special they are and for the simple reasons, not the store bought, glitz and glamor ones.  Thank them for being in your life.  Emulate the love of God for everyone and everything around you, even those that are by all practical and ethical observations, people that you just really don't like, despise or can't seem to find room for them in your own circle of life.  You never know what good might come from it!  

In Matthew 22:36-40, a question is asked of Jesus, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  To which Jesus replied "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'."  Oh, by the way, did you know Matthew was somewhat of a scoundrel and not looked upon favorably by most people.  Jesus didn't see him that way, and...well you know the rest of the story.  Jesus loved him and He loves you and me!  Don't emulate the scoundrel, take the right path!

Here's to working on my case of EPD, and I hope you work on yours too!  Emulate the good stuff!  Blessings to you all in Jesus, my Savior....

As always,

Kaye

ps - thought you might enjoy this.  Who are you?  Mowgli, King Louie or Baloo?