Super Salad!

Tonight my husband took me on a date to one of our favorite places. I love the restaurant because of the soup they serve as an appetizer. It's chicken and rice which is delicious. There was no doubt that I wanted the soup to start the meal. :)

My husband and I discussed what we would order while the waitress was getting our drinks. By the time she came back, we both knew we wanted steaks. When she asked what I'd like, I happily answered her, "We both want the same thing! The Club Steak. I'd also like soup and a salad."

"Oh, you get a super salad." She said, "What other side would you like?"

"I get another side? Hmm...Let me see." I looked at the list of sides on the menu and chose spinach because I'm trying to cut my carbohydrates. Even though I'm not a huge fan of spinach.

She left with our orders and I turned to my husband and said, "Well, guess we get extra sides. I'm getting soup, a super salad and spinach with my steak."

He looked at me cock-eyed and said, "super salad?"

"Uh huh...she said I got a super salad."

He laughed and said, "She said soup or salad...not a super salad!"

"What?! I thought I was getting a super salad." The disappointment must have been all over my face because my husband said, "I can tell her not to bring the spinach and you can just get a salad in place of it."

"No!" I responded quickly, "I'll just eat the spinach. I do not want to tell her I thought she offered me a 'Super Salad'..."

We received the yummy soup shortly thereafter and enjoyed it along with a laugh over the super salad incident.

What can I say? I literally thought she offered me a Super Salad.

In my defense, I told her that I wanted a Club Steak, a soup and a salad. So...I can't take ALL the blame for the miscommunication...

I heard her incorrectly or at least that's what I thought she said.

But I was WRONG.

How often do we do this same thing with God? He says one thing and we hear what we want to hear or we do not hear Him correctly.

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Psalm 34:11


(A day in the life...) lol

Dream Girl

            I followed Dad into the crisp, clear waters of Big River. Gravel crunched beneath my bare feet as we stepped deeper and deeper into the cold river until the spot seemed right and we stopped. I held my breath as cold water numbed the lower half of my body. Dad held a folded up handkerchief in one hand and my shaking hand in the other.

We turned to face fellow members of New Hope Baptist Church standing along the river bank then Dad cleared his throat and spoke, “Brothers and Sisters. We are gathered here today to witness this little child of God follow through with baptism after her decision to follow Jesus. I’m honored to baptize my daughter today before you,” he said to the crowd.

Some sniffled and wiped tears from their eyes but most were smiling in anticipation of the dunking that was about to take place.

            Then he turned and asked me, “Samantha, have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and is He Lord and Savior of your life?”

            I smiled and nodded as I said, “Yes.”

            “Then in obedience to the command of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Ghost…” He covered my mouth and nose with the folded up handkerchief as he spoke and slowly pushed me beneath the freezing water and said, “Buried with Christ in baptism…” then as he raised me back up out of the water, he finished with, “Raised to walk in the newness of life…”

            Applause broke out along the river bank as I came up out of the water and church members began to sing out of their hymnals a favorite song, “I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus.  No turning back, no turning back…”

            I wiped my face and began to walk out of the water toward the river bank where church members were waiting and Dad followed me out of the river.

“I’m so proud of you, dear.” A sweet older lady wrapped a large white towel around me as I shivered with goosebumps on my arms and legs.

“Thank you Miss Gertrude."

The sound of gravel beneath my feet along with the melodic hymn ingrained themselves into my memory. I was welcomed into the church family with open arms and the warmth of home wrapped itself around my young heart as I stood shivering on the bank of Big River.

Highlighted

My childhood friend received a gift one Christmas from her mother that was very special. Her mother bought Bibles for each of her children. (And I believe there were nine of them!) She went through each Bible and highlighted scriptures that she wanted to bring to her children's attention or were special to her in some way.

My friend told me, later in life when we were adults, that she never appreciated that gift when she was a child from her mom the way that she should have. She didn't recognize the thoughtfulness of it until she was older and how special it really was to receive such a gift.

I have to admit that someone else bringing a scripture to your attention is not as powerful as it is when God, Himself, highlights a scripture for you and brings it to your attention. It will jump off the page and present itself to you as a present straight from God.

The scripture may answer a question you have been pondering or it might pierce your heart. It might actually change what you believe, reveal a hidden truth or bring you great comfort.

I have had my mind blown by God's word in this way many times. It is powerful.

We, too, have received a beautiful gift from our Father but as it was with my friend in her youth, it is sometimes the same with us. We don't appreciate God's word when we are young spiritually but find it's value after we've grown up a bit.

Christmas has come and gone. Presents have been given and received. We have relished in the joy of the most special day of the year and now we are all exhausted! lol

But the gift of God's word is the gift that keeps on giving. We can never get enough. It's where you will find the greatest present of all.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

The Ornament

Our Christmas tree has always been very eclectic. I've got a bunch of ornaments that don't match and I like it that way. 😇

They have been given to me over the years as gifts from friends, relatives and co-workers. They have come on top of presents as part of the gift wrap. I've won them in games played at work or family gatherings. I've collected them over a period of twenty eight years or so.

I still have a bird's nest that my husband and I found in our very first Christmas tree that we cut down ourselves in 1989!

What I love most about decorating the tree each year is opening the container of ornaments and being reminded of different people or times in my life when I received a particular ornament.

As I decorated the tree this year, my little sister was on my mind. It will be the first Christmas since she lost her son, Brandon, earlier this year.

My husband was helping me get all the Christmas stuff set out and I said, "I'd really like to get Janet something special but I don't even know what to get her."

She's been blessed with many wonderful gifts since Brandon's death. She's received jewelry, blankets, benches, plants, flowers, and some co-workers even bought her a pair of leggings to remind her of Brandon. I just couldn't imagine what I could get her that would be special and give her comfort this holiday season.

All the while I was pulling out ornaments and hanging them on the tree remembering where they came from and who gave them to me. Then I gasped as I pulled out my KU ornament Janet had given me a few years ago. I'd completely forgotten I had it.

She'd written his name on the back of it along with his football jersey number. I held it up and sighed. What a little treasure I held in my hand! Forgotten treasure.

My little sister had been the one to give me the gift...not the other way around. 

My heart was full and tears welled up as I hung it on the tree and remembered him.

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

Jestin & Sydney

On June 28, 2016 Jestin asked Sydney to marry him. 

They were on vacation in Florida with her family when he finally popped the question and we were all thrilled when she said yes! They set the wedding date for March 25, 2017.

As the date draws closer, things are flowing into motion preparing for the big day.

Being the mother of three boys, I don't get to do girl-things often, so when Sydney asked me to go to the dress shop with some of her family to pick out a wedding dress, I was excited to go and have some fun!

The "She said YES to the dress!" day was this past Sunday at 3 pm. I went to church that morning then looked forward to a fun afternoon doing girly things with Sydney, her mom, her step-mom and the famous "Gandy" - Sydney's grandmother. We planned to eat dinner at Chili's afterwards, too. So, I stopped by Starbucks on my way to the dress shop and grabbed my favorite drink to start things off on the right foot! 😉

When I stepped into the bridal shop and saw Sydney in a beautiful wedding dress...I was stunned. Somehow, I've forgotten just how beautiful she is. Then as she tried on another, then another, something happened that I did not expect.

Not only did I see a beautiful bride in a gorgeous dress standing in front of me but I also saw my middle son, Jestin, as a baby in his crib smacking his legs on the mattress with a big grin on his face. (He got the nickname Thumper from one of our friends for doing this as a baby!)

Then he was a toddler escaping his bedroom in the middle of the night, getting into the kitchen cabinets, slamming their doors and waking up everyone in the house.

I flashed to him as Student of the Month making us proud, among many other achievements in school. Before I knew it, he was graduating high school.

Where on earth did all the time go?

Tears welled up and I was overcome with emotion. I did not expect that. I planned on a fun time not an emotional time.

When Sydney found the perfect dress, they asked her to ring a bell and make a wish. More tears! Sydney's mom had them rolling down her cheeks.

It was an emotional relief when the sales lady bagged the dress and we snapped a few pictures of Sydney holding it up.

After dinner, I drove home alone with my thoughts.

How did my little child grow into a man so quickly?

How am I going to get through this wedding without bawling my eyes out?

How did I get so blessed?

The Tangle...

When I was very young, probably around four or five years old, I took a piece of chewing gum out of my mouth and placed it into my cousin's hair.  

We were laying down trying to take a nap in the back bedroom at our grandparent's house. I remember thinking about doing it and then I followed through, with no thought to the problem it might cause my cousin. I don't know why I did that. I guess I wanted to find out what would happen. (lol)

I regretted it right away and asked her not to tell anyone how the gum got into her hair but she immediately went to her mother and told on me. 

Looking back, I can't believe nobody gave me a spanking!  The severe look of disappointment I received from my aunt and grandmother were punishment enough. They were completely disgusted with me. 

The sticky gum set in causing a terrible tangle and they couldn't get it out of her hair. They ended up having to cut it out, leaving my beautiful cousin looking a bit unkempt. 

It's a strange thing to have on my mind but a scripture made me remember the tangle and the trouble of it all. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Nobody likes having tangles combed out of their hair. It hurts. It's easier to go around with a rat's nest on our heads than to make the effort needed to completely remove the tangles. 

It's the same with sin. It easily entangles us and once it sets in, it's hard to remove. 

***So keep the tangles combed out and whatever you do, stay away from ornery, impulsive cousins with sticky pieces of gum. 

A Little Bit of Love

My parents raised nine children the best way they knew how and I'm so very thankful to have them both as parents.

They are now in their upper seventies and retired, relaxing on their farm in Missouri. They used to have cattle, goats and pigs for a time but these days it's mostly a few chickens. Mom crochets lots of afghans and Dad reads, rides his four-wheeler around the farm and takes care of his chickens.

For the past thirteen years or so, they have had a dog named Ducky.

He has been the light of their retired years. Riding the four wheeler all over the farm with Dad, chasing squirrels, rabbits and any other wild animal he happens to cross.

Then about a year after they got Ducky, they got a little female dog and named her "Little Bit".

These two dogs, I tell ya! They have been treated just as us kids were growing up. One of them (or both) are in one of my parent's lap most of the time. 

Sometimes Little Bit gets jealous of Ducky and they fight over scraps of food or chewed up bones. But each night, they go together to their kennels and sleep beside each other in the mud room.

They have been my parent's children since all of us have grown up and moved away. They have always been there when we went home for visits it seems like FOREVER.  They are part of the family. 

So, we were all concerned when Ducky got into a fight with some other dogs over Little Bit. He's old and didn't fare the fight very well. They ended up taking him to the vet and sadly, had to put him down due to the wounds.

Dad and Mom were crushed. 

Then after Ducky was gone, Little Bit stopped eating. She searched everywhere for Ducky. She would no longer sleep in her kennel beside his but slept on the couch. My parents took her to the vet but she died in Mom's lap one week to the day after Ducky died.  It seems, of a broken heart.

There's no doubt that Little Bit loved Ducky. She didn't want to live without him. There's NO doubt that Dad and Mom loved both dogs. Now, they have to learn to live without them. 

As Alfred Lord Tennyson once said, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." 

Rest in Peace

 Ducky & Little Bit 

October 2016