The Highs and Lows of My Weekend
This weekend was full of highs and lows.
I will start with the highs:
I will start with the highs:
- Tianna's birthday was Saturday, and Matt came home from Ithaca to be at her party. Chris also came, and it was just fun to see them all together.
- We had a fun birthday party for Tianna attended by 28 sixth graders at our house (don't worry, it appears on the low list too).
- Today's message in church was another powerful one from the book of James, on being a peacemaker. Our pastor spoke about peace making and peace taking relationships and how difficult it is to really walk in the posture of a peacemaker. Characteristics of Peacemaking relationships are that they are pure, peaceful, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and secures. Contrast this with peace taking relationships which are characterized by bitterness, envy, selfish ambition, evil and disorder. It was another one of those messages that I felt was "just for me".
- I had a car load of twelve year old girls tell me I rocked and they sang a song of gratitude for me at the top of their lungs.
- I caught glimpses of the sun rays peeking out from behind clouds.
Now the lows:
- Eleven of the sixth graders, most of the girls, stayed over for a sleep over. We had one high drama incident which made me want to pull my hair out, but we got through it. Yes, of course I know that is way too many hormonal sixth grade crazed girls to have for a sleepover, but how that happened is a story for another day when I am not quite so shot.
- I spent time reflecting on Tianna's birth mother, and that is always an emotional place for me to go. I appreciate her selfless gift of her daughter more than I can express. But my heart is full of compassion for her. I know in Vietnam poverty often drives the decision to abandon a baby for adoption, but I think of her birth mom and wonder what her thoughts are about her daughter, especially on her birthday.
- For other reasons, November 15th is also a very sad, difficult day for me, but that is also a story for another day.
That really is just the overview. I was astonished at how many of the kids had cell phones and had them at the party. That is worth a post in and of itself...
And in terms of my sadness, I will close with words my friend and blog reader Pam wrote and passed to me in church today: "As hard as it is, Jesus want us (I think) to get to the point where if our spouse (or whoever) never connected emotionally with us again, we would find our fill and satisfaction in Jesus." I know that is true, but I also know it is hard; very hard.
Labels: adoption, Birthday party, birthmother, Jesus, peace making, sleepovers
posted by www.kathypride.com at
10:42 PM
9 Comments:
May I share my days' high and low?
The low is that my brother continues to do poorly. My mom and I are going up to see him tomorrow (so I will have to apologize to doctors for having work in late).
The high, and this is a way over the top high for me, is that we had 5 baptisms in church today. It was during the second service and we attend the first, but we stayed so we could see the baptisms. There was a family--husband, wife and elementarly aged son-- and two boys, about 9, from different families, but one of them was a close friend's son, and I didn't even know about it!! I have been praying that my son would come to point where he was ready to be baptized, but we have not spoken of it, not wanting to "push" him into it, but he asked us today if he could be baptized next Sunday (yay!).
Another low for me was a conversation with Howie about yearning for deeper connection. I suppose what it boils down to I wish we shared a passion for Jesus. But we don't and he believes that God is something man has made up to make himself feel better. I have to admit I feel an emptyness when I see other couples who both are on the same page. But then again I wasn't on that page for 41 years of my life, either.
Jodie, how exciting about your son. I truly appreciate the significance of this. I would be over the top too.
Peace.
Oh, and I think sharing the highs and lows is a great idea, so other friends, please share away!
I'm so sorry about Howie. My dad has a similar vision of the church. He saw so many people being hypocrites when he was a kid, going to church and being all nice on Sunday, then cheating people the rest of the week, that he thinks church is just "big business"--or at least he did 30 years ago when I talked to him about it and he made it clear that the topic was not open for conversation.
I dread that God would ever say to me "Because you did this, so-and-so has this attitude of me." On the other hand, sometimes healing takes a long time...and broken people who come to Christ often take a very long time to learn to think His way. We are all on this journey, of letting our minds be renewed and changed into the mind of Christ. I'm so thankful to be able to discuss this aspect with you and your friends.
Ah yes, the healing...and that is so what I hope to convey. But I seem to set the poorest example of that with my own family, or perhaps I am just extra hard on myself.
Yes, I value this discussion and will add to it. Good contemplation for today.
It is now 7:27 (and what on earth are you doing awake at this hour PST?) and I haven't woken Nicole up yet, school at 8. I work today in Scranton again, home to pick up the girls, swimming, tumbling for Nicole and a Ministry Team Meeting at Church. A long day...
My prayer is for serenity and being a peace maker as I journey onward today.
Blessings.
You are in my prayers today, as usual! Just remember that. My highs:
-Steve and Emma returned safely from Ecaudor last night (actually wee hours of this morning)
-Emma actually prayed with 2 people to recieve salvation!
-My house looks very clean!
My lows:
-I am now on day 4 of a migraine, and it is getting worse
-I have a literature review due tonight on my research project
-I have to say 'no' once again to playing on the floor with miniatures with Katja due to migraine
-my friend Kathy IS being too hard on herself! :)
we passionate people have a hard time reigning ouselves in sometimes, but i am sure like me, you keeping asking God to make you more like Jesus, and I am sure if we keep seeking and trying, it will be His joy to answer!
Blessings to you, dear friend!
Pam
if you go to my blog (follow my profile, I only have one blog currently) and then go to "color me a rainbow" in my favorites, you will find a little bit of a quote from (ugh, his name slips my tired mind!--john eldridge) about Eve being the icing on the cake of creation...what an interesting concept, that Eve was the Final touch, the capping highlight....
I'm sad today because I went with my mom to see my brother who is much worse, barely able to feed himself, unable to move his legs at all now, barely eating, depressed...I feel so helpless.... In my heart, I KNOW God wants to heal him...but he does not work in us without our consent, usually. Sometimes the healing we receive is not exactly what we asked for--but still we asked. My brother is not asking. :( I stopped at church on the way home and wept....bawled...sobbed. And I don't love my brother nearly as much as God...how desperately sad must God himself be over this (and even worse situations all over!)
Ironically, as I was weeping in the sanctuary, I could hear some of my beloved friends setting up for the banquet tonight for the sunday school teachers...Kingdom work goes on, the fun and the hard, all at the same time. It's a puzzlement.
I am sorry your brother has experienced such a down turn. I have had glimpses of that gutterol wretched tear filled space. Kingdom work does go on forever...maybe we need to broaden our definition of what it is.
I guess what makes it bearable is that there is always hope, and that we do not have a high priest who does not understand what we are going through...God has suffered all that I have suffered, and much more besides.
I often say that no matter how badly off we think we are, we don't have to look very far to see someone in worse shape... I had that impression, when I was sobbing to God, and he was right beside me, crying too, that his tears were so much bigger than mine...
PS...I"m usuallly up around 4..unless I oversleep...gotta work SOMEtime!!
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