This morning as I awoke I saw the dim light of my alarm clock telling me it was time to get in the shower and get going. My little cat gave a “good morning” meow as I stepped over him, walking to the bathroom. I felt the hot water that soothed and awakened me at the same time, smelled the fresh scents of soap and shampoo. My mind wandered as I stood there and I said a little prayer in my head for John and for our church family. This would be a pivotal day for all of us.
I felt the chilly morning air on my face as we walked to the car. I saw a beautiful blue sky and the warm array of trees in various shades of yellow-green, orange and bright red zipping by my window as we drove along. My mind wandered to my church family again so I said another prayer, “God protect them, guide them, encourage them.”
When I walked into the church building, I heard the cheerful little voice of Nate, the 2-year-old son of my dear friend who was in the sanctuary finishing up the PowerPoint slides for worship today. “Hi Mimi, where’s Krissy?” I heard the clinking of metal as John and I set up chairs for the service. I felt a little hand on mine and Nate’s sweet voice again, “will you read this to me?” as he held up a toddler’s Bible story book. What a nice way to begin the morning, holding him on my lap and reading about how God created the world, elephants, butterflies and all. He had no idea what was going on in the lives of the grown-ups around him. Sometimes I’d give anything to be a little child again!
I heard the laughter of the worship team as they greeted each other. The sound of our voices blending together in praise soon filled the room, our hearts warming up along with our voices. God is good. We’re choosing to praise Him. I could almost hear their hearts saying these things aloud. I felt the familiar smooth keys of the piano under my fingers. Continue reading
In an email conversation with my dad this morning, he reminded me of a time that was tough in my mom’s life (physically at least). She had all three of us by C-section and shortly after my little brother was born she had to have her gall bladder removed! This was back when they didn’t do the tiny little belly button incisions. She was hurting. My grandmother, her mother-in-law, told her during that time, “When you’re hurting, somebody needs you.” This took my mom aback. Someone needs me? I’m hurting here! I’m the one who just had two surgeries almost back to back. Nonetheless, during my mom’s hospital stay she encountered another patient, a lady who was hurting in her heart, not just her body. God used Mom to encourage and bless that lady. It may not have happened if Mom’s heart hadn’t been opened to the possibility by grandma’s wise words.
There’s someone in our family who over the last few years has drifted away and become very quiet, going through some tough times. I admit, we didn’t try hard enough to stay in touch, to care, to reach out during those times. I’m ashamed of that. I’ve asked forgiveness for that from this person but am not making much headway. In the last year or so we’ve tried harder to get in touch, send emails, call, reach out, getting no response. I’ve had dreams in which our family and this person are reunited and reconcile all the differences. I’m hoping that’s one of those dreams that becomes a “deja vu” moment later in life. You know when you have a deja vu moment and think “I swear I’ve dreamed this before.” Does that happen to you?
He drove by the McDonald’s. What? Jodi, Jon and I looked at each other again and asked him, “Dad, where are you going?”
Time away with my sister and her family, in sunny Arizona, was like the wonderful rush of “ahhhh” after a strenuous workout, when the endorphins kick in.
There was much conversation and diet coke (of course!), much laughter, watching movies, sitting in the sun, walking through beautifully manicured, landscaped southwestern neighborhoods with cactus and brilliant fuchsia bougainvillea vines growing everywhere, shopping at 
Ikea for the first time, tutoring my sis on facebook, driving around town in the little pick-up truck with my nephew Curtis, playing with their two sweet doggies, singing at the piano and visiting with my older nephew TJ, playing guitar hero, holding the snake, Vinnie (!) and just plain ol’ heart-warming love.
I sat down at the piano to play a little the afternoon he was home with us and he came into the room. He started singing a praise song I was playing, so I sang, too. 
Along the Narrow Path 