Letting go...

Oh man. I have a whirlwind of thoughts on this subject today.

Letting go of adult children - for me - has turned out to be tough. I always said that when the time came it wouldn't be a problem for me. I lied.

But now listen. Even with that admission, in my defense, I did spend over two decades raising, nurturing and pouring myself into them. It consumed (with my blessing) all of my time, my energy, my love and practically every ounce of my concern for over 20 years. And all of a sudden, or so it seems, I'm faced with learning to balance my love and concern while resisting the age old desire known as parental control.

Michael leaves to live in another state today. It is such a bittersweet relocation. For me anyway. No - that's another lie. It's bittersweet for us all. While we all wish that things could stay the same and we could all live in a commune as just one big happy family, we can't. It was never intended to be that way.

I realize his decision to relocate was not made lightly. And truth be known, today's departure will be no easier on him that it will be on the rest of us. But his Dad helped put it into perspective last night . . . sometimes we overlook or simply forget that God knows what He’s doing. God knows what is best for us AND our children. He can see the end result. We can’t. All the questions, all the doubts, all the uncertainties and all the delays—all the things that make us ask “why”— one day will all be clear to us in the light of God’s love.

While looking at things through a different lens may not completely take the sting away, it does ease it. Looks like we'll be planning a vacation soon :)

Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Proverbs 3:5)

Thoughts . . .

Had a few thoughts on the subject today . . .

Parenting;

• learning (daily) to overcome a series of personal challenges.



• development and increasing levels of competence, wisdom and emotional power.



• never carefree or easy.



• stretches your heart and your strength to their absolute fullest.



• a full-fledged parade of emotions.



• challenges your mentality and basic skills beyond capacity.



• requires much more than mere instincts.



• spans periods of bright sparkling sunshine, strong rushing winds and the occasional tsunami.



• the ability to love in a way that completely melts your heart.



• a gift.

Sin Stinks

One of those devotionals that I felt led to share. Enjoy...

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:7 (NLT)

Jasmine is my beautiful and tenderhearted dog (cockapoo). She knows it is wrong to go near an old barn that’s on the edge of my property, but she saw a black cat run behind it and took off for a playful chase.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a cat. It was a skunk, and Jasmine was quite surprised to get a face full of stink. She smelled so bad I didn’t even want to bring her into the house, but I sequestered her in the bathroom while I figured out how to get her clean.

On the Internet, I found several home remedies for removing skunk stink. The recipes called for ingredients such as tomato juice or a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, and I think one listed dark chocolate (Okay, I made that up. The dark chocolate was for me).

These mixtures removed the bite of the skunk stink (an eye-watering, garlic-like perfume) but the overall smell was still there. By then it was almost midnight, so I took an old blanket, put it on the floor of the bathroom, and that’s where poor Jasmine had to spend the night.

The next morning, I went to the pet store and found a remarkable de-skunker that removed every bit of the stink and left Jasmine smelling wonderfully clean.

The reason I share this story is because it helps illustrate what Jesus has done for you. The Bible says, “But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8 TEV)

Jasmine knew she was forbidden from going near the barn, but temptation appeared in the form of (what she thought) was a black cat. Sin is always deceptive, and it always costs more than we think it will. Jasmine thought she’d have some fun; instead, she ended up with the stink of sin all over her.

I still loved Jasmine and wanted her to come into the house with me, but I couldn’t let her have the run of the house while she carried the stink of sin. She needed to be cleansed; otherwise, the stink would permeate my home.

That’s how God views our sin. He can’t let us back into heaven until we’re cleansed from our sin; otherwise, our sin would stink up the whole place. Jesus came to cleanse us from our sin, and his bloody sacrifice washes us whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7 NLT). When we confess our sin and obediently trust Jesus, we can walk confidently into God’s home, knowing he will welcome us as his daughters and sons.

Take time today to thank God because you “have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace” (1 Peter 1:2 NLT).

Sweet William :)

Shortly after coming to Grace we joined a small group. Best decision we had made in a long, long, l-o-n-g time. Mike was leery at first, thinking he wouldn't have anything in common with such a diverse group of men. Isn't it funny how that thought rarely crosses the mind of a woman? :) Anyway, we settled into a group and became fast friends with everyone - still are today. But before that group ended, we decided to facilitate a group ourselves.

We have been married many, many years and anyone who's married - period - can probably relate when I say there have been many dips and valleys along the way. Hopefully not as deep as ours. But we realize now if we had been followers of Christ during those hard times, it would not only have alleviated some struggles, but would have made forgiveness and healing much, much easier. I guess that's why we have such a heart for couples and wanted to gear our small group studies in that direction. It was through that group that we first met sweet William. Oh, and of course his parents too :)

In case you aren't aware, small group life is just different. I'll try to describe it for those of you who haven't had the joy of being part of one yet. It's like experiencing life with super close and special extended family members. You live life together, meet on a weekly basis - and look forward to doing it. You form a closeness and a special bond with people who were probably total strangers to you beforehand. It is an amazing relationship. Our group was almost brand new when Will's parents shared we would be getting a new group member. But even so, it was no surprise that sweet little William became so special - even before he was born. He quickly became affectionately known by our group as Baby 'E' and we were thrilled at his arrival in September.

Little Will is the sweetest and most amusing little guy. I've pretty much branded myself as Nana Shelia and am more than happy to play the part when allowed. I'm telling you, that little guy has stolen my heart :)

Mike and I recently got to hang out with him while Mom and Dad had a date night. I'm not sure which one of us was more excited :) So when they dropped him off Mike 'jokingly' encouraged them to not only have dinner, but to take in a movie as well :) Ohhh! He is the sweetest little baby and we're already looking forward to the next date night!

And to just think . . . if not for our small group we would have missed out completely...

Click!

We finally had new family photos taken this weekend. It's been almost six years since the last ones. Kaylee Mattice, a sweet little girl who is all grown up now, spent a while with our ADHD family Sunday. A definite trooper. I've included a bit of a teaser until we get the finished product. Can't wait :) I think this one says a lot about our family.

We did outside photos and it was hot. Needless to say this resulted in quite a bit of whining going on - won't mention any names - but I know with Kaylee's photography skills we will all look cool, calm and collected. Of course if my husband could interject a comment here it would go something like 'Well you know they are if I'm in them....' You know what I'm talking about.

Afterwards we dined at Casablanca, left completely miserable, headed home to watch a movie and Brandon forced us to eat ice cream from Sonic. This naturally resulted in me having to nap while they watched the movie.

Yep, it was a good day.

Been thinkin'...

Been thinking a lot lately about how life changes whether we want it to or not - and in ways we have absolutely no control over. I mean, it's not a new concept, sudden revelation or anything like that. It's just something that's really been on my mind.

I remember how just 18 months ago my mom was completely mobile and could pretty much keep up with me or anyone else. Parkinson's has robbed her of that ability, plus many more.

I remember how my dad could keep up with all of the chores, big and small, required to not only maintain their property, but even grow a rather large garden. Stress from dealing with other things has robbed him of that.

I remember how I thought my children would always be near and underfoot. The marriage of Miss Priss and Michael's decision to spread his wings to warm, sandy beaches have made me realize that they won't.

I remember how I always knew in the back of my mind that some day, way down the road, the day would come when it would be just me and Mike. That time is just about here.

Family is everything to me. From my parents - to the man I've spent 30 years with - to the blessings known as my children. And yes, I know that particularly in these areas, life changes whether we want it to or not - and in ways we have absolutely no control over.

But I also know...

Yes, it is heartbreaking that Parkinson's has attacked my mom. But all that matters is that she knows what an amazing mom and friend she is to me - and that I love her.

And it's hard to see, but it doesn't matter that my dad is no longer able to do the things he once could. All that matters is that he knows he will always be a man bigger than life to this little girl - and that I love him.

And of course, I would be lying if I said I won't miss my children living under our roof. But what really matters is that they know they are blessings and gifts from God and that I am thankful for every single second that He entrusted me with as they were growing up - and that I love them.

And it doesn't matter that Mike and I will have an empty nest (I'm pretty sure that's God's plan). Because what really matters is the 30 years of memories we've created so far, the years of memories yet to come - and that he knows I love him and wouldn't dream of spending them with anyone else.

So yeah, I've been thinkin'...