Generous Living...

"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share" (1 Timothy 6:18)

Generosity is:

• Nice when you are on the receiving end.
• Particularly nice when your kids are involved, either on the giving or receiving end.
• Something that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you hear these great stories of other people who are generous.
• Not always so easy to incorporate into our daily lifestyle.
• Totally necessary to incorporate into our daily lifestyle.

It's way too easy to fall into the first three; the latter two are more challenging. But not optional, especially if we call ourselves Christians.

Generous living was the message this morning at church, and the sermon followed a presentation of Shane Claiborne's that he gave at a youth event earlier this summer. This guy (Shane) in my opinion, has it right. He is a phenomenal storyteller and is always up to something related to radical love and living out his faith in the way of Jesus. He has worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, in Baghdad during the 2003 bombing and has been to court in Philly charged with feeding the homeless. Pretty cool, huh?

So after seeing this great film (you can search "Shane Claiborne" on You Tube and see for yourself) we had this great message on generous living which I hope challenged all of us. We can all do better in this department.

How do we do at generous living? I love the definition of poverty our pastor gave in his message. He described poverty in the following way: "Anyone who needs something I have is poor in that area of their life". So for people just tip toeing into sharing who are still clutching their wallets thinking, OH NO, they want my money...there are probably many, many other things they can start with. But a caution, it is just a start, because loving money and loving God are on a collision course with each other. But if we start with the smaller things, gradually we move to being generous with more and more.

The sad thing is, as I think about all the junk I sorted through in Honduras (see my blog post Junk for Jesus) I imagine there were plenty of people who thought they were being generous, but worn out stuff is not sacrificial or even slightly uncomfortable giving. In my mind it doesn't qualify. True generosity carries with it an element of sacrifice whether in time, stuff, money, comfort, giving up having the last word, and the list could go on for a long time.

So how can you start? Well, you can start with the excess to gently work your way in...

Here are a few ideas. This would qualify as generosity 101. Hoarders may have a problem with this.

• How much hotel soap and shampoo do you have sitting around? Find someone who doesn't have any and share it. It doesn't even have to be overseas. There are plenty of people in need, probably right in your community.
• How many pairs of shoes do you really need? (OK,I have a weakness for Birkenstocks,although I do get most of them on EBay). Rather than try and resell on EBay or even at a yard sale, give them away. We only have two feet after all, and some people go barefoot.
• Does your sixth grader really need a cell phone? How much food could that money buy for a family who really is starving? I have met these families first hand, and it is too difficult to distance yourself from it when there are real faces.
• Share your time. Listen. Care. Love.
• Share your talents. Do you have a gift for encouragement? Use it.

OK, you get the idea.

After you master Generosity 101 there are several advanced courses to choose from.

There are plenty of needs. But hey, that's great news. Because it means that we have countless opportunities to live generously.

At the end of September our church will be engaged in a Faith in Action weekend, where we will be serving in our community. I pray that the people involved will discover their generous spirits and will be able to reach people in our community. We all have something to give; love, hope, prayer, a hot meal, a helping hand. And there are many, many in need. Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus. After all, he did all of those things and then some, so why not use him as the model.

Peace.

Food and Loving to Eat and Discipline

I love to eat.

And if food could bring me closer to God, I would be well on my way! (But I Corinthians 8:8 says Food does not bring us near to God...rats!)

I just love to eat. So sometimes it becomes a HUGE problem for me. And let me tell you, something nasty happens to your body after the age of 45. When Howie asked me a couple of years ago what I wanted for Christmas, I said twenty pounds gone between my navel and my knees. Guess what? I was disappointed. There was no magic bullet under the Tree.

It really is simple math; not new math, just simple math. Calories in must be fewer than Calories out to see the scale head in the direction that the body parts have already gone.

So that's where the discipline part comes in. It's pretty easy to keep putting off healthy habits, good choices and exercise till tomorrow. And tomorrow is always a Monday and by Tuesday it's blown and over with, so there goes another week, and before you know it size 8 turns into size 14 or more...So after piddling around with this for a while I am getting serious. OK, there you all know now, so please hold me accountable!

I went back to Dorie at Shapes to Come, a local nutrition support/weight loss program, and Dorie is great. She was so happy to see me again (this has been going on on and off for a year now). I am determined to be successful this time and I don't have a ton of weight to shed, but my goal is 16 pounds. My clothes would fit, all of them and I wouldn't have to wear elastic waist pants and loose tops anymore. I can always find someone who has a couple more pounds to lose than me, but who can't? So even though I don't have that far to go, and too many people say I look fine the way I am, the point is I don't feel fine and half my clothes don't fit, and I want to adopt a healthier lifestyle, get away from the binging (I have struggled with Bulimia in the past) and not succumb to emotional or late night eating, which is huge for me.

So here are my successes which would fall into the discipline category:

• I didn't have a bit of any food at the football game last night, no fries or yummy looking Cinnamon things that my friends had.
• I bought lots of fresh produce today at the Surplus Outlet and made a sweet potato and pork loin Mexican stew for dinner. Yummy.
• I have foregone the Drive Thru at Dunkin Donuts so no one gets tempted with Donuts (Nicole) or leftovers (me). Not to mention the $2 I save by not buying the coffee. Not a big deal, I agree, but if I am listing books on Amazon.com now for all of a buck and change in profit, I will think twice about $2 on a cup of coffee...
• I am snacking on almonds.
• I walked 5 1/2 miles today while Nicole and her friend were roller skating (another bid for mother of the year I suppose...) My mom dutifully sat as the adult in charge and read Time Magazine.

Now I just need to go to bed without detouring past the kitchen. It is the evenings that are the toughest for me...

Oh, and a picnic tomorrow. I am going to make peach cobbler with some of those yummy peaches, but will try to steer clear. I want to make a double batch and a single as one full stick of butter. Yikes! No wonder it's so good.

Football Games and Mother of the Year

Friday nights have hit and that means it's HS Football Season again. I don't mean to be unsupportive of my local team, and I care how they do, but it is not necessarily how I would spend my Friday nights unless it was a family togetherness social gathering. But it is not, so the only reason I can think of that I would go to an away HS football game in the drizzle means I have become a less self centered mother putting the desires of a posse of girls first. So as far as places to be socializing on a Friday night, this is a good, benign choice. Plus maybe they will nominate me for mother of the year (I doubt it). More likely I just bought myself the default role of the mom who will definitely drive to every game, home or away. The girls don't sit with me or watch the game. They hang out with their friends and walk the track around the field. And eat junk food. (Which I am now avoiding since going back to the discipline of wanting to rid myself of a final ten pounds, which have been stuck to my hips and upper thighs for several years now).

Danville won, 41-0. Poor Milton. I felt bad for them. And I felt bad for the coach. Mike Bergey is a super nice guy and that's a rough way to start the season. I hope we made an effort to go gently by giving some of the younger players a chance to play, but I really don't know, because, yes, I will admit this, I didn't pay attention to the game. (Neither did the girls). I sat with some friends (cheer leading parents who couldn't believe I was there..."What are you doing here?" knowing I don't have kids on the team, cheering or in the band...followed by "I wouldn't be here unless I had to be"). How well I could relate to that statement. I have to admit that until I felt the social pressure from my kids of going the only possible place to be on a Friday night, those were my exact sentiments.

So I took some things with me to do and passed the time, which became much more enjoyable when the drizzle stopped. Especially since I was writing cards and the only pen I had was not a ball point and water and ink are not a particularly good match.

And everyone was happy. Except the Milton fans and team.

Chit Chat in the Middle of the Night

I am void of creative or inspirational energy today. Just so you know. Last night I woke up when Matt and Carolyn came in and spent between 1:30 and 3:03 this morning hanging out with them. The moments are so much fewer and further apart now than they were when he was younger, another reminder to grab those moments now while the girls are still young and I can manage to sneak a hug or conversation at a decent hour. (Except Miss Nicole and I missed out on that special time because I expect/You decide didn't go well at all. And up to her room she went).

But now they are gone again, off to a music festival in OH this weekend. I miss them and am glad I grabbed the moments, however inconvenient, to chat with them, but I also still believe that middle aged women (that would be me) and twenty something year old guys (that would be Matt) don't belong under the same roof for extended periods of time.

Today's Update!

We all survived today, and I even managed to eat! (Well, OK, I never have a problem with that...) But by the time 4:00 p.m. arrived, I was running about fifteen minutes behind...Because I promised, here's how the day panned out"

• HUF was amazing. So many ideas, so much vision, so much happening. So privileged to be a part of it.
• Meeting with our Ministry Director was an hour late, but we managed to cover the highlights over the most wonderful grilled chicken salad at the OIP. Right now I have too many ideas...
• Nicole went to ride bikes with a friend after school and happily went off to cheering practice.
• I met Matt for his MRI and preliminary findings suggested ligament tears the question is, will it require surgery...but the dye injection didn't hurt, he said it was more of a pain to hold his arm still in an awkward position. My mother had some leftover Valium from her MRI that she was happy to share. I told people we were running a special on MRI's in our family this week.
• Tianna is healthy, and we accomplished the requisite paperwork. A tear slid down her cheek when she found out she needed two shots. I hated shots too.
• Matt finished his internship paperwork today, yeah! but still needs a place to live.

Time for bed...

Hand Up Foundation...

"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth" (Psalm 108:5)


I believe we need to take care of the glory of creation. The people at HUF (Hand Up Foundation) also believe this and are doing an amazing job at their recycling center. In the first five months of this year over 70,000 pounds of computer components have been recycled. It is more than some counties in PA have recycled in the past three years.
They own a baler, and bail everything from clothing that doesn't meet the quality standard to be sold in their discount center, to cardboard (I got downright giddy with excitement to discover that I no longer have to tear apart my cardboard boxes, the baler will do it...) to plastic bottles. And they take every imaginable kind of paper too, from newspaper to cellophane windowed envelopes...more giddiness ensued.

More mind boggling recycling efforts include the complete dismantling of major appliances; even the freon in refrigerators is recycled. Can't you just grasp the impact this has on our environment? My personal goal is to get my household down to one trash can of household trash per week...more giddiness! Below are appliance components which will all be broken down and hand separated.

The new building will house the recycling center downstairs and the new discount center upstairs. They hope to have the remodeling completed in time to transition the store by the end of September. The amount of space is phenomenal, and for a bargain happy used clothes junkie like me that is cause for more celebration (and giddiness!).

The outside of the discount center has a completely handicapped accessible entrance as well as a ramp that cars will be able to back right up to to deliver donations. And because of the recycling center, no donation is junk. Some will be sold, some will be recycled.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10)

This place is the ticket. There are so many opportunities to do those good works which I believe God has prepared for us to do right here, right now, in this community. It is a place for relationship building. It is a place for service. It is the new home of the Milton food bank. It helps transition hurting individuals into job ready positions with training and skill development. There are dreams for all kinds of community programs and the space is just waiting to be occupied by willing teachers and eager students.

I am excited, because our church, Community Mennonite Fellowship will be partnering with HUF the last weekend in September when we are engaging in the Faith in Action campaign, serving as Jesus' hands and feet in our community. We will be partnering with them in delivering food baskets, helping with extra volunteer power at the discount and recycling centers. And in the process we will be building more relationships.

And Doug and I banged our heads together and the visions were just exploding. Let the fireworks begin!

Today's Sneak Preview...

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition , with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6)

This is one of my favorite verses, and yes, you've read it here before. Remember those eagle's wings from yesterday? Well, add them to the prayer I will undoubtedly need to get me through today and I guess that's what is meant by getting through on a wing and a prayer. Today, I have a feeling, is going to be one of those "flying through life by the seat of my pants" kind of days...

It's only 8:21 in the morning and already I have had a lesson in patience and hopefully Nicole has had a preview of natural consequences. We got all the way to school, early and on track for the mega day ahead that doesn't have nearly enough margins in it between things...and she realized she had forgotten to put her homework agenda back in her backpack after I signed it. I had time to drive back home (which is way out of the way and backed up with insane traffic for our little town because of the bridge being out between here and there...) but then had to make sure I gathered everything I needed for the day because I won't get home till after 4, maybe later...But we had a little conversation about whose job it was to pack the agenda in the backpack. Final warning, final answer. Hers. And the next time I won't go back to get it.

Other things that I will be skidding through today, hopefully without getting brush burns...

• Dropping off a friend's son at the high school, which is why I have time to post now. I had just enough time to sit here for fifteen minutes, but not enough time to run home (again).
• A meeting in the next town for service projects we will be doing for our upcoming Faith in Action campaign at church. Of course, we never got confirmation of where the meeting is for sure, so there could be extra steps involved there too...
• That meeting is followed by a meeting with our ministry director to get back into leadership mode in the Outreach initiatives we are involved with.
• Matt is coming home today for a die contrast MRI of his wrist; the injection is at 1:30 the MRI at 2:45. We are running a special on MRI's in my family...I will try to get to some of that.
• School pick up is also at 2:45 and 3:15, then Tianna has a doctor appointment at 3:30.
• In the meantime my mom is withdrawing into a shell and it is hard to see.
• Cheering practice tonight at 6 for Nicole for two hours.
• A discussion with Matt somewhere along the line about how much we will be able to support him this fall.

I'll let you know how it all works out.

Of Peaches and Patience...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)

So what do patience and peaches have in common? Well, for starters they are both fruits...and both start with "P" at that. They also can both rot; take it from me, I know. My peaches here in my bowl aren't the only fruit that can rot, my fruit of the spirit can also at times become maggot infested and rotten.

Kara's comment on a previous post got me thinking about patience this morning. And I know all about praying for patience...she is absolutely right on...pray for patience and it will all break loose. So basically, if you aren't looking for refinement in the area of trials and tribulations, perseverance and becoming ultimately more Christlike, don't pray for patience. I know. I wrote about this in my first book, Winning the Drug War at Home...Come up with another request...like joy, or gentleness or one of the other fruits. Patience equals long-suffering; that is what it is called another Bible translation.

But we could all use an extra dose of patience, couldn't we? I am chuckling to myself as I think about the lesson I had in patience just this morning. It had to do with driving my younger daughter to school this morning. It is normally just a quick ride down the hill, to the right, and voila, there we are at school. But there is a bridge out between here and there, that requires making a large U to a parallel road and back again, through a busy intersection that is prone to getting backed up. I know I don't live in a metro area where I need to deal with traffic every day, now that would really be a lesson in patience (or insanity). So on my way back home the turn lane off the busy road was way backed up...so I continued straight to make the turn from a bit further down and then back tracked. I was at the traffic light waiting to proceed, enjoying the quiet of the car ruminating about these things when the light changed and when I didn't immediately gun it the guy in his little hot rod Mitsubishi behind me honked. I waved to him out my rear view mirror and gave him a huge smile, knowing that in other areas of the country he may have received other gestures and looks. He wasn't patient, but I guess neither was I because I chose to go around rather than sit in the pretty long left turn lane (and the green left arrow is pretty quick...)

So how am I learning to become more patient?

• By bringing the island way of life home with me as much as possible.
• By being less demanding of myself and others.
• I am not wearing my watch as much here either.
• By not multi-tasking.
• By purging stuff (so I will not have as much to take care of, necessitating less multi-tasking because I can't seem to find enough time to maintain order).
• By focusing on relationships more than other things and allowing myself to be interrupted to allow for relationships to take precedence.
• And yes, by praying, although not necessarily for patience...

And those beautiful peaches? You didn't know Howie was an organic farmer, did you? Freshly picked from our backyard tree.

Peace (and Patience :)

Growing Weary...

...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31)

Well, yesterday was a weary day. I'm glad that when I look up I can be encouraged, its when we forget to look up and get dragged down that things can really start to slide...so the cool thing about God's promises are that the truth of His words will bless us when we keep our end of t he deal. And life without hope is pretty bleak.

So, several things made yesterday a weary kind of day, and it would have been really easy to get discouraged.

• It was the first day of school, and the years just are flying by faster and faster. Tianna took the bus, which is a choice she made, but also simplifies things for us on the logistical end significantly. The stop does require that she cross a busy road. I know that its the law to stop behind the flashing red lights of a school bus, but some people are just nuts. I won't embarrass her by crossing her over, but I do wait to make sure she gets safely across. We are also getting up earlier than we have in the past which adds to the weariness, but it was more of an emotional weariness.
• I spoke to Matt and the two living situations he was pursuing in Ithaca for the fall fell through. It's his deal to get a place, but I just cant' totally divest myself of "mom". There have got to be better options than a year lease for a place that he only needs for four months. This is a lesson in see what happens when you wait till the last minute. Unfortunately the last minute has typically worked for him...
• I took my mom for her MRI last night. It is difficult to see your parents age, and I have a feeling there may be some significant lifestyle changes coming down the pike. She is very strong willed (maybe that is where Nicole gets it from...) and I question how compliant she will be....but we'll see.
• I have been missing exercise since June, so I went to spinning class today, and that made me physically weary :)
• The girls arguing after school also made me weary.

And I could probably add a few more...

So soaring on wings of eagles is sounding pretty good right now...as does not being faint. So I ended my day after the girls were in bed and after Howie and I had a chance to catch up by talking to my dear friend Katy until I was so weary I had to go to bed. But I went feeling hope and at peace with the world.

The Bittersweet of Back to School

Tomorrow is the first day of school...I don't know if moms are still doing this, but for as long as I can remember there has been a back to school coffee gathering where collective sighs of relief, or snotty noses being blown can be heard. The sighs of relief seem to outnumber the snotty noses ten to one. Summer vacation is long. Personally, I would rather have year round school and three week breaks every three months or so. But no one asked me. I also have to admit that there were times in the past when I was more than ready for school to start so I could get on with whatever it was that I thought was more important than spending time with my girsl, and my sighs could be heard loud and clear, too.

But not this year. It's snotty nose time for me. My daughter, Tianna, who it seems just yesterday was in preschool pressing her hand prints on construction paper to make special cards for me, is now going to middle school. Middle school...She is growing up into a young lady who will want to spend more and more time with friends and less and less time with me.

And Nicole, who is going into fourth grade, but still enjoys a long cuddle at bedtime, and I am not in such a hurry to get to bed myself because those days are numbered also. She came into my room this morning and I had coffee in bed while we watched some TV together. She wanted to know how to make and upload a video that she had heard about on the Disney channel, and instead of "later, later" we looked it up on the spot, plugged in the video camera to charge the battery and she happily went off to pick her wardrobe and rehearse her son. I imagine I will be the camera man, except maybe not. Matt's girlfriend Carolyn was a film major at Ithaca and if she is here (and I think she will be Wed/Thur.) can shoot it and put it together for her.

So I am sad. Sad the summer is over. It is full of good memories:

• Hiking at Zion National Park, which some of us liked better than others...


• A triathlon in South Carolina.


• Two wonderful weeks at the lake in Virginia with lots of water tubing and even some water skiing.


• Time with Matt and Carolyn.


• Tianna playing on the All Star Softball team.


• Having my mom with us.


• Playing with the kittens.


• Long evening talks with my friend Katy who came to Va. We saw lots of shooting stars!


• My visit with my elementary school friend in CA.


• And so much more...
  

But now it's back to school, and while routine is nice, I will miss the time we have together. I guess I need to go blow my nose

Peace.

Back to My Garage...

Have you ever seen so much stuff in your life? There is the white wicker stand I got at the Sal val that I intend to spray paint hot pink. The bikes to the left are an assortment...Nicole's old outgrown bike that I hope will bring in $5 at a yard sale, my circa college days overhauled Peugeot that Howie bought me when my bike got stolen in college and I now can't part with. It is my triathlon bike. And his triathlon bike... The snowboards belong to Matt. So that was one of the before photos, now for the after photo...please be impressed. After Teresa and I worked about four (at least) hours in the hot, hot, hot weather and I came home after Nicole's cheer leading debut, Howie's comments revolved around not being able to find the gas canister with gas in it, and questioned why on earth the gas grill was in the back, didn't I think we were going to grill anymore this summer? Apparently I hadn't thought out completely enough where to put certain things, never mind you could actually get in without twisting an ankle or worse...so I moved the gas grill and invited him to cook tomorrow evening, and immediately knew where the gas canister was.

One more before photo below revealing that probably everything except the kitchen sink had found a home in my garage...Oh, there's the gas grill before we put it back in...we took absolutely everything out and started over from scratch. Don't worry, you'll get before (and after) photos of the basement and toy room (Nicole's orphanage, she has many, many babies...) when those areas are tackled.

Believe it or not, we managed it all in just over four hours. There were a few odds and ends and sorting and storing the yard sale stuff that I did later in the afternoon, but many hands (or at least more than two) make light work.

If your garage needs help, find a buddy and go for it, it wasn't that bad.

Well, if remodeling wasn't enough for me yesterday, I tackled the garage today, but not alone! Misery loves company and my faithful friend and cleaning helper Teresa came and kept me on task, and today's task was the garage. That will pare down to two the number of remaining spaces in my house that are totally out of control. One of them is now the entire walk out basement as all the toys have overflowed out of the toy room. Why do I have such a bargain and salvation army addiction? The other is the computer a.k.a junk room upstairs.

As for the garage, there were a few reasons we tackled it first...

• If I didn't get it cleaned out someone could have died trying to get to our door.
  
• I had a bad feeling there was a dead rodent somewhere (there was...)
  
• Restrictions and Covenants in our neighborhood bar us from having campers in our driveway, and we have had a camper in our driveway about three weeks now...It has temporary NC plates (expired, at that) so it can't go very far until it is transferred to my name, but it had to be moved out of the driveway before neighbors called the police.
  
• Howie was missing two bathing suits and I knew that they had to be there somewhere.


• The chest freezer is gone, and that was huge.

And that's just for starters...

So now everything has its zone...the camper is in, Matt's stuff is on one shelf, yard sale stuff is in the corner, and the pets even have their niche. Shoes are organized (for now) and the recycling bins are all neat in a row.

How long do you think we can manage to keep it this way and not become the catch all?

House Restoration: A Different Kind of Cleaning

And you thought your house was bad...welcome to home restoration 101. Well, actually this is home restoration 102. I'll explain that in a minute. Meet Erin, Chris' girlfriend. Chris is our 26 year old son who works for the local cable TV station. She is scraping some really disgusting paper sticky stuff under layers of carpet and sub floor that were covering hardwood. Go figure.

The outside of the new old house situated on a half acre in Danville. Thankfully not in need of as much work as house number one, which cost $35,000 and that tells you something about how much work it needed...The old old house (circa 1850) is in town. That was home restoration 101. But it is great to hang out and work together.

So now double house restoration is in full swing, and since I got tired of my mess, which is just clutter, I joined them in their mess (which is on a whole different scale) today and we had a wonderful time! It became a family affair. Howie, Tianna, Nicole and two friends joined in too. I think Erin was really very pleasantly surprised that we came and stayed such a long time. It was hot, but I really enjoyed being with them and helping in a project that is important to them.We ripped out carpet, took the crow bar to the sub floor and started pulling out nails and clips; way too many of them. Next will come panelling and dropped ceiling. The plan is to strip down the place to the original floors and get the ceiling and panel out of there and then put up dry wall. The bathroom floor is completely shot, and the kitchen is very retro vintage 70's. Ugly.

The first house still needs work. Right now the exterior brick is being scraped and then the entire house needs to be primed and painted. There is still a fair amount (IMHO but what do I know, I am not the primary restorer, that would be Erin) of interior work to be done on house number one. So yes, you followed that correctly, there are two houses currently being restored. That is Erin's love, Chris will stick with Sportscasting, that is his love.

But it was really great to be a part of the demolition today. Tianna was a big help also, she's a real worker. Nicole and her friends weren't too interested...but there is a great playground across the way and they went back and forth and everyone was happy.

On to panelling tomorrow! But the ceilings are high, there is beautiful original trim and hardware on the doors, and it's a good thing some of us are visionaries, or we'd all be depressed.

Martha, Mary, My Parents and My Garage...

I took this picture of my mom and dad Monday evening while we were out to dinner and waiting to be picked up in NY. It was just so nice to sit with my mom and dad and enjoy the time together over a great meal. One of my favorite places to go is for Vietnamese food right in the neighborhood. My father pulled out his camera at the end of the meal, to which my mother responded, "Oh No!" and then I pulled mine out and said "Kissy-Kissy" and here's the result!In light of my complaining and your comments about my messy house, I will note that I full heartedly agree with several comments. Relationships are more important (more on that in a minute) and dust is a great protective covering. My floor is basically never clean, and I have a dog too, so I don't get too bent about it, but it is clutter that gets under my skin. Stuff just everywhere and not in its place. (That was a huge problem for me earlier this summer when I needed to find my safe deposit box key and couldn't). Nicole also remembers everything and inevitably asks for the one skirt, or shirt, or baby doll that I have absolutely no clue where it is and things not being put away gets to me. Its a sense of order I crave. So check out my garage...which is anything but orderly and was not too long ago.

Then Howie came home today and announced that the pop up camper that is in our driveway needs to live in the garage and I said, "That's nice." Where does it look like a camper is going to fit in this mess? I would rather sell it than store it. But I am not stressing about the camper gets moved, because I am spending my time with my mom and my girls before they go back to school next week.

I have corralled the stuff into three areas and will get to them over the next three to six months...the toy room, the computer room and the garage. And if you keep your house too clean (which has never been a problem for me, remember it is more the clutter and people not putting their stuff away that bugs me) you don't have a healthy exposure to dirt and bugs.

So on to Martha and Mary. I hate to admit this, but Martha rears her head in my life more often than not, "'Martha, Martha' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed'" (Luke 10:41) Yup, I do get worried and upset about many things, but then I remember sage advice like be anxious for nothing (see Philippians 4:6) which also can be written no thing. And then I remember Mary and how she had chosen the better way. So I am trying with God's help to choose the better way and I know God smiles down when I make those choices. The difficulty I get in to is when I love and serve and relate, but sometimes am greeted with a response of entitlement or demanding expectation. That bugs me. But still I am to love no matter what, so sometimes I sigh, tell God I blew it, shake my head and take advantage of that new beginning I get each day.

I hung out with Nicole this morning, played play doh with her and then took her to a friend's house. Then the major part of my morning I spent with my mom. I went to a doctor's appointment with her for a regular check up to make sure she was honest with the doc. She has a tendency to omit important details, and there are a couple of things that are really concerning me. First, she has fallen a couple of times in the last month to six weeks for no apparent reason and without warning. Just fell off a stool at Chris and Erin's and tipped over after getting into the water taxi in Roatan. Now, it was hot before she fell off the stool and she had been on a long walk (from our house to town, about oh maybe almost 3 miles) and the water taxi was in the water, after all, and it was wobbly. But boom. Right over backwards after she had sat down.

But more worrisome to me is that her gait has become very shuffled. And rather suddenly also. The doctor agreed that these were concerning changes and promptly scheduled my mom for an MRI and an appointment with a neurologist. And then told her that she can't walk anywhere alone until after she has her neuro evaluation. She wasn't happy about that. No more walks with Tino around the neighborhood, and if she were in NY, she wouldn't be able to grocery shop unless my dad went with her (good luck, she walks a mile out of her way to save a quarter on a gallon of milk, and this just won't fly with him). I think we are all glad the appointments are both in the next ten days.

Tianna has a friend over and I cooked a yummy meal with some of the peaches that came off of Howie's trees and it has been a lovely day. I think I kicked a pile of stuff from one spot to the other in the garage. Maybe I will do the same tomorrow :)

Peace.

Mother Guilt and Mr. Magorium's Wonderful Emporium

Nicole and I watched about two thirds of Mr. Magorium's Wonderful Emporium this morning. I hadn't seen it before, although I have heard bits and snatches in the car.
I probably won't synopsize adequately especially since I haven't seen all of the movie, but one of the scenes really hit me pretty hard this morning.

The main child character is a boy who is a loner and really doesn't have any friends, and he trys to engage a geeky accountant who has been brought in to evaluate this magical toy store. At any rate the boy "talks" to the adult through the glass window of the office he is working in by writing to him on placards; he basically asks him if he'd like to play checkers, but the adult says he doesn't have time, he is always working.

And those words really hit home for me, because they are almost ver batum what Nicole says to me, when I decline playing baby dolls, or try to load one more load of laundry, or whatever. But I got it this morning, before even seeing this scene from the movie. And I hope I keep getting it every day. The days she wants to sit and watch a movie with me are going to be numbered, and she's my baby...

To say my house is a mess is a gross understatement. But it has been a mess all summer and can continue to be a mess awhile longer; we sat down to watch the movie together and I didn't even do anything else at the same time. And it was wonderful. We had to pause it because I needed to go sign some papers at the bank, but Nicole came with me. But then she went off to a friend's house and the moment had passed. I am saving the rest of the movie to watch with her, and really plan to grab more of those moments and make sure I create the time to spend with her.

But I do have to admit that chaos, which would include the present state of my house, increases my anxiety level. So little by little I am trying to purge and prune. Erin (my son Chris' girlfriend) is having a yard sale in two weeks, so I can send some of the things her way, but right now I just feel like I am moving piles of things to other rooms. It was so bad in Nicole's room you couldn't find the floor. No wonder she had one white sock and one blue sock for cheer leading practice. It's a wonder she even managed to find a pair! I just feel so much better when things are where they belong. Of course, we still have way too many things...but I'm working on it.

So the next time you're too busy, try to put the chaos on pause, and grab a moment of magic with your child, or someone special. What I saw of the movie I really enjoyed.

Peace.

A Couple of Pictures...

Here are a couple of the photos I wanted to post while I was in Roatan, but couldn't.
This is the sunset view from the Blue Bahia. It was breathtaking and spectacular almost every night...It was an amazing way to end the day.
Well, here they are, Kent and Lisette, the energy and brains behind the Blue Bahia. It is a group of nine condos, plus their home and restaurant. They own three and the other six are owned by others and then make up the resort. It is small, friendly and fabulous. And they do a great job. We are fortunate enough to have one of the condos. Well, let me correct that, the bank has one of the condos, with our names on the papers. That is where I stayed with my mom. It is cozy (a euphemism for small) but big enough complete with a small kitchen area and wonderful deck with hammock.

This is the scene from Miss Peggy's hospital, where we went to sort through clothes and distribute them. We just sorted them out and put them out for people to go through and help themselves to.

My mom in her debut role as a missionary. She looks pretty excited, huh? She couldn't understand why all the people sitting and waiting didn't pitch in and help. But we got the job done!

Those were just a couple more pictures I wanted to add.

Home Sweet (Filthy) Home...

Well, I'm home and ready to run away. I missed my girls and Howie terribly but I'm ready to crawl into a hole somewhere and hide.

Here are the highlights of being home:

• The Internet still is out, so I am back at DD (again). The cable guys are coming AGAIN tomorrow.
• The house does look like several category five storms swept through. Thank God for small favors, someone finally took a freezer I have been wanting to unload for weeks.
• There is only sour milk in the refrigerator.
• My mom really wanted to go to WalMart today and she didn't even buy any Melatonin.
• Matt left for Ithaca yesterday. I cancelled the credit card he had been using I had thought only for gas, but there were a few extras on it, so its gone. I made that phone call when I got home after midnight last night.
• Cheerleading practice for Nicole, a swim team organizational meeting tonight and a phone call out for information about fall ball for Tianna. And that's just today...
• I paid the bills and there is no money left in the checking account and it's only the 19th of the month.
• I started wearing my watch again...
• The girls fought just for me this morning, but we all recovered.

Welcome home...

Time to Leave...

I'm sitting at the restaurant at the Blue Bahia savoring my last evening here. Deb's singing (the folk singer who was here the other night) fills the air, white lights strung around the perimeter of the deck twinkle in the absence of stars and distant squeals of children playing on the beach are audible in the distance.

Now she is singing Puff the Magic Dragon which is another tear jerker for me. It brings back a magical time in my childhood...I used to listen to it with my dad, and even have a little hand painted bobble head dragon that he brought home for me one day. I still have the dragon; he sits on my dresser, nodding back at me whenever I give his head a pat.

One woman is singing along, another is swaying to the rhythm of the song and another is staring off into the distance and a blanket of serenity covers the place. I do want to see my family, but I don't want to go home.

Of course an email from Howie earlier today about the status of the house didn't do anything to encourage me...I felt the tension coming back already...yuck.

I am really desperate to live the Island mentality when I get home, but I am so skeptical that I won't be able to and will just get sucked right back into a pace of life that is unappealing and unhealthy. Of course it wouldn't have been the same here if I had to cook and clean, live my family's schedule,etc. but there is still a different outlook, a different pace. It is a simpler, less complicated, less frantic way of life. And that is what I want to take back with me.

Shalom.

Blue Bahia's Kent and Lisette

There are many, many special people on the Island of Roatan. The way these people live is an example of how one person really can, and does make a difference in the lives of others and thus the world.

Kent and Lisette are two of those people. They moved to the Island about four years ago and made Roatan their home. They built four two-condo buildings, their home and a restaurant with a huge deck (pictures forthcoming when I get home and can send them without crashing the Internet connection) and have the best food I have tasted on the Island so far served with superior hospitality. When you come here, you feel like you are a part of their family. And they will tell you that in absence of having any children of their own, their employees are their family. They use their business as a way of serving and connecting people with each other.

There is the story of Alex, who Kent describes as a young man who is a fashion statement waiting to happen. He looks like he could be transplanted onto Italy's Amalfi Coast and fit right in. He is a stylin' guy, but he has had a tough life, as have many of the locals here. His mom and dad abandoned him when he was a tiny tyke in search of drugs and a better life somewhere else. His grandmother took him in, but then she died. He was taken in by another family who already had eight kids of their own. The mom, Maria Susanna found him wandering around the Colonia (the poorest area on the Island) at the age of six toting all his earthly possessions in a plastic bag. When she asked him where he was going and he said nowhere, I have no home, she took him home with her. One of their sons, Amato also works for Ken and Lisette.

At Christmas Kent assumes the role of Santa who doesn't come down the chimney, but arrives by boat and distributes fruit, nuts and a toy to each of the children who come who represent the poorest of the poor of the country. At the end of the evening last year, a little girl who had received a doll came up to Kent after all the other children had left and extended her doll back to Santa and asked if she could give the doll back if she could only have some fruit for her brother who was still hungry.

Kent and Lisette have become connectors in the community and the Blue Bahia is where many conversations happen and relationships are formed. Conversations flow freely and stories of heartbreak are too common.

There are many who are involved with service on the Island. There is a small HIV positive population and a woman who is active in supporting and educating this group of people. as I learned more about her work, I also learned that the child sex trade exists on the Island. There are some families that are so poor that they send their young children down to the cruise ship docks to hook up with Pedophiles who travel on the cruise ships specifically looking to connect with and exploit young girls and boys. I sat in silence and horror as I imagined girls the ages of Tianna and Nicole living that kind of life.

It is easy to respond to horrors like that by sitting in numb and stunned inaction, but we must respond. How? I'm not sure, but I plan on talking to the woman who is involved in the front line of t his work. One child and one family at a time...

I absolutely believe that one person can make a difference in another's life.

Kent and Lisette open their breakfast table to the kids who sell donuts and fruit along the beach, putting a little food in a hungry belly. Maria Susanna made a difference in Alex's life, and the HIV worker has single handedly reduced the transmission of the HIV virus on the Island between moms and their infants through educating the population and offering alternatives to breastfeeding for this population sub-group.

Who's life will you make a difference in?

Shalom.

Banking in Honduras

I had a new experience today. But I was prepared! You know, it's all a matter of expectations. I opened a bank account here today, and I expected it to take all day, so when it only took about 2 1/2 hours I figured I was way ahead of the curve.

First, the person at office number one didn't know I was coming. But she took care of me with much grace. She checked with two banks, one of which required residency, so for the time being, that was out. So on to bank number two. I settled in for a long wait, but was pleasantly surprised.

Several phone calls were made to determine when there was no line and all of a sudden it was time to GO! But even though there was no line,the wait was still 45 minutes long. Go figure. But I managed to accomplish what I set out to do, and will never complain about banking at home again. Three cars ahead of you in the drive through does NOT constitute a wait.

AND...I am half way through my last story. I have a feeling the last few will require significantly more editing than the first few, but at least the ideas and words are there.

Off to see if Michael Phelps can win the next one...

Another Day in Paradise...

Well, my mom is still bored, and I am still relaxed and productive. I did find her a John Grisham book to read, so that was a good thing!

My mom's early morning greeting to me was that she didn't sleep well last night; (because of her missing Melatonin) I suggested an afternoon nap might be in order. I don't think she took me up on my suggestion (but I did).


I got up at 5:45 this morning, got writing right away and then went snorkeling. I made it out to the break in the reef and saw some pretty cool stuff: a moray eel and an octopus hanging out in his nest. Then I came back and wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

My nap happened in a hammock out on the deck with the ocean out front. It wasn't quite as hot today and there was a gentle breeze, so it was pleasant. I know I fell asleep because there was a drool mark on the pillow.

More writing and then off to watch Michael Phelps swim. Amazing.

Blowing in the Wind...Rambling from Today

Today was definitely hump day. I was the least productive I have been all week, but I am preferring to think of it as re-charging.

The book project I am working on is a book on Moms of the Bible, so there are 66 chapters one for each book of the Bible. The main writing I have been doing here is a Bible book synopsis and then story under the heading "Mama Mia" to go with each book. Well, the synopsis are all done, and I have 21 stories left...seven a day for the next three days and my rough, probably very rough draft will be done...in all fairness, all the titles, story ideas, scripture and two sentence blurb (in a prelude to MAMA MIA in a section called MOMSENSE) were all done before I got here.

I took my mom with me to the clinic this morning. It was pretty hot and she didn't particularly enjoy her first stint as Missionary Mom.

After that we went to the West End and took the Water Taxi to West Bay. I haven't wanted to admit this, but my mom has gotten less steady on her feet, and getting in and out of the boat was very hard for her. She lost her balance getting in and almost fell completely backwards. The trip to the gorgeous beach didn't seem to make up for the "ordeal" in getting there, so I felt bad. We did have some yummy gelato which was great. I did a little snorkeling and got out pretty far; far enough that a passing boat full of divers told me to be careful. I guess it wouldn't have been too difficult to be missed by one of those water taxis...

We came back to Blue Bahia for dinner and there is a delightful singer here tonight. Of course I had to pick Blowing in the Wind which always makes me cry every time I hear it, especially the lyrics about "Where have all the soldiers gone...where have all the graveyards gone..." War and Death make me sad. And I was crying again...

I am contemplating Coconut Flan for dessert and then retire to the hammock on the deck. All in the name of rejuvination for more writing.

Junk for Jesus

I took some time off from writing today to go help out at Clinic Esperanza (I need to go look up the link). There were several boxes of donated clothing piled, no more like haphazardly thrown all over the clinic stoop. Apparently it must have been there for quite some time because the boxes were soggy and falling apart. The clothes were on the "seen better days" side too. There were also several boxes of blankets (hello, this is a Caribbean Island, it is sweltering here) and a bunch of donated shoes as well.

I did mention to Miss Peggy that some *most* of this particular batch of stuff was about a minus 5 on a scale of one to ten. She is the one commented, "Junk for Jesus." UGH.

But it was. It reminded me of when Antonia Ulloa who works at Eastern Mennonite Missions and is from Honduras came and spoke at our church retreat. I remember him talking about donated lime green prom tuxes from the seventies that he really didn't want any more than the person who had donated them. He was very careful to say that he was grateful for the thought, but I think wished just a little more thought went into the donation.

I sorted through clothes and shoes and placed the things on a concrete slab for people to help themselves to. All I could keep thinking was it would only be OK, and even then I wasn't so sure if the people who had shared had as little as the people it was intended to help. But since it came from a cruise ship I doubted that was the case. Again, I don't mean to sound judgmental, but there were several thoughts that went through my mind as I was sorting through these items:

• If it is old, out of style and full of holes, why do you think someone else would want it? How does this make the recipient feel? Where is the dignity of the donation?
• There were several pairs of unmatched shoes. Did they really think a red flat would match a blue pump? Or didn't that matter either?
• Some of the shoes were so worn it was embarrassing to me to think that a fellow citizen of one of the most affluent, consumeristic nations in the country actually gave it away instead of throwing it away, or where we live, sending it the HUF recycling center.
• I couldn't believe how many sweaters there were. Again, hello, it is a tropical country.
• There was mostly men's clothing in this batch and most of it was XXL. The Hondurans aren't obese.
• Some of the things came from one of the cruise lines and included mechanic's jumpsuits, several tux style jackets and an evening gown. Maybe for dress up?
• Three people were interested in my suitcase, which itself was not in the best shape and I needed to keep.

It just made me really, really sad. I was there to help Peggy, but I was really embarrassed to be putting out some of the stuff. Just because someone is poor doesn't mean they don't have dignity. As a matter of fact, I have come to believe that it is all the more reason to give our best. We absolutely need to view these people as Jesus does, with love and compassion. And if we believe we are representing Christ, and engaging in "pure religion" (I know there were widows and orphans there) then how can we give them anything but our best?

Just food for thought

Life and Times on the Island, Honduran Style

My mother is bored. I am relaxed.
Two different perspectives on the same experience. To be fair, it is my mom's first time on the island and it is my fifth. I have forgotten the what I suppose was very real culture shock the first time I spent a week in Honduras (on the mainland with the MAMA Project www.mamaproject.org) but I also came back a changed person, for the better. More appreciative and more relaxed. I think my mom is going to return home more horrified.

First of all things move very slowly. I am coming to like slow more and more and would like to sustain a slower pace when I get home. Ha you say...I know, I know...me slow? But yes. You heard it here first. I have actually stopped wearing a watch here. That probably won't happen at home, but for now it's quite nice.

Two of our four bags didn't arrive with us on Thursday. That isn't the first time that has happened here either. But it really didn't matter. The four suitcases we packed and checked all contained donations, so as long as the bags arrived before we left, it wouldn't be a big deal. My mom and I together packed everything we needed for ten days in one carry on bag. And I still have too much.

OK, back to the bags. They finally arrived on Sunday just before we were to leave place number one. I was kind of bummed, because I had wanted to go down into town and hand them out to local kids that morning, being the church instead of going to church, but they didn't arrive in time. We had one of the guys from the resort freelance as a driver for us Sunday morning and that was one of the things I was hoping to do.

But since the bags didn't come, I set them up in the office of the resort and let all the hotel employees help themselves to what was in there. But I made one crucial mistake. Things that were not allowed in our carry on bag (bug spray, sun screen and my mom's toiletry bag, that was the BIGGIE) were also in that suitcase.
So in addition to the distribution of clothing was the distribution of our personal liquids and gels and my mom's melatonin and Caltrate. We got some of it back, but not all of it. You guessed it, not my mom's melatonin and Caltrate. And guess what her favorite topic of conversation has been since Sunday? Her missing Melatonin and Caltrate. I'm not sure how many times I have explained that they weren't stolen but it was my mistake; I left them in the bag and invited everyone to help themselves. Considering I also had an entire suitcase of medicine along it wasn't that much of a stretch for me, but my mom is having a hard time adjusting.

Oh, and Continental ferried the bags from San Pedro Sula to Roatan and I think they sat at the Ferry Terminal longer than necessary because person A didn't tell person B to call. But hey, I wasn't here on a diving trip and it wasn't scuba gear. It can always be worse.

We went to the West End today the hub of activity this end of the island...but the road isn't paved, so that wasn't so great either. When I pointed out the huts that some lived in she thought I was kidding and I tried to explain that these people are POOR. I think she is starting to get it, I hope. We stopped at a little groceria and I offered to buy her a sleep aid, because she was complaining about not having her melatonin, but she said no, she would somehow make it. So I asked her one more time if she was sure, and if she was beyond 100% sure than she would not be allowed to talk about Melatonin again while we are here.

Other things that are different down here, that you don't know unless someone tells you (that didn't excite my mom too much) are:

• Don't drink the tap water. In fact, when in doubt, don't even rinse your teeth when brushing them with tap water.
• It is better not to flush your toilet paper down the toilet.
• It is best to take preventive medicine against Malaria when travelling here.
• The bugs are bad, so be warned put on the "OFF". Of course, this was a problem because it was in the bag that was four days late, and then vanished before we could use any of it.
• Cars don't need to be inspected down here and are driven with tape, string and anything else holding key items like door handles and windshields wipers in place. Oh, and just about every windshield is cracked.
• Corruption and bribes are pretty rampant here. When the Continental employee (A supervisor wearing nice clothes and several gold chains) found out I had clothes in the suitcases he had just delivered, he wouldn't leave until I gave him some for his family.
• Cocaine drops are made offshore in the ocean and sooner or later it washes ashore. If someone has a really nice house on the less developed end of the island it is because the bundle washed up and they found it and the traffickers paid the going price to get it back. Enough to build a great home. From shack to sharp overnight.
• It is expected that you haggle over prices on cab rides and certain souvenir shopping. Otherwise you are basically thought to be a totally stupid and gullible American.
• It is exceptionally hot here in August, but there is air conditioning.
• The air conditioning frequently goes out unexpectedly. But guess what! Yippeee, it hasn't happened yet while we have been here. Some places have generators; where we are now doesn't. It's bound to happen before we leave.

There's probably more but that's enough for now :)

I love it here. To me, it is paradise.

Why I Can't Include Anymore Photos...

OK, the reason I probably shouldn't include any more photos is because I value my friends and don't want them to not like me when I get home because of how beautiful it is where I am. My new office is just as beautiful as the first office, and the sunset tonight was unreal.

But the real reason I can't post more photos till I get home is because my photo uploads crashed the Internet connection here at the Blue Bahia (www.bluebahiaresort.com) . Remember I am in a Developing Country, so the technological (and other) infrastructure isn't the best. When files that take up too much space get up or downloaded it makes the Internet crash for about 24 hours. To my credit, the owner thought it was just downloads, but we found out the hard way it was uploads too, so sorry, but the rest of the photos will have to wait till I get home.

Rays of Hope

I love it when the light breaks through the darkness; to me it is as if God is sending a touch of hope, a glimmer of His Kingdom, a reminder of light conquering darkness, of grace prevailing.

And it doesn't need to be just some abstract concept. We can (and I think should) be a part of bringing that hope and grace to people around us. Gratitude, a smile...or anything that can bring hope to others.

Eating My Way Through the Week...

I guess the food on the Continental flight was a precursor of things to come (unfortunately...). The food has been plentiful and non-stop. At least for the first three days, because the stay included three meals a day. My mother kept asking me, "Is it time to eat again,yet?" Except she was serious. I was stuffed! So the big debate would be when we would consume our next meal. She was always ready and believe it or not, I was never ready. And she's a tiny little thing...

So this is what I started my day with each morning, a "plato typico" -- but not until after I had my third or so cup of coffee. Eggs, spicy sausage, beans with white cream (sort of like sour cream) and cheese and fried plantains. For once I really understood Howie's comments about being full till dinner. Except there was lunch in between.

We ate fresh seafood soup, shrimp, fish...and drank fresh lemonade.

It's a good thing I phoned Dorie at Shapes to Come before I left, this trip will probably pack on another ten pounds.

My Hondsuran Office...and View!

Amazing. Beautiful. Sacred.

This was my "office" for the first three days of the trip. And yes, I do know how blessed I am. I am so fortunate to be able to have this kind of writing retreat. The beauty and lack of interruption allow me to think!

I have had amazingly productive writing time. I can accomplish more here in a week to ten days than I can at home in months. When I get back I will post a photo of my "office" at home. It is so full of books and papers that I can hardly think, let alone communicate those thoughts.

The beauty of being here is the simplicity of life, and the fact that I am not responsible for much. No laundry, no cooking, no cleaning, no interruptions. I have my computer plugged in on the veranda and can gaze at the incredible view for inspiration and encouragement. There is no phone, and I am disciplined with the wireless...admittedly easier at the first location because it wasn't free; it is free at our next stop.

So, I parked myself on the veranda, lemonade in hand (fresh squeezed, none of this minute maid stuff...oh, I am so, so spoiled!) and computer at my finger tips. My desire and goal is to have a rough draft complete by the time I leave next Sunday.

Update on Duffle Stuffing Passenger

Remember the obnoxious (in my humble opinion) passenger that argued with the flight attendant while trying to stuff an enormous duffle into the overhead I wrote about earlier?

Well, it gets worse. While we were waiting in SPS for the flight to Roatan, I struck up a conversation with another guy who was also on both flights. It is pretty confusing waiting for the small flights. Times change all the time, boarding is haphazard and usually requires at least two strolls out and back on the tarmac while they change their minds, change planes, change pilots, forget to load luggage, who knows. Whatever.

So a flight had just boarded through the gate we were to go through at the time they had originally said, but this other passenger was still seated inside the waiting room, so I thought conferring might be in order. OK. Not our flight, but we did keep chatting.

Apparently he chatted with this other guy while waiting in the customs line. I should have taken a photo of that, but thought a riot might break out, because the potential for that apart from photo opps seemed to be growing. An entire jet load of passengers and two agents, manually processing everyone, including taking a photo. And kids and wheelchairs kept merging from the left, which was fine, until other able bodied passengers thought they could do the same. They probably learned to drive in either New Jersey or Massachusetts, where that rude behavior happens all the time...

Anyway, get ready for this. Do you know why the guy was coming to Honduras? To serve on a medical mission team. I just cringed. Now granted, you don't necessarily need to love or believe in Jesus to serve on one of these gigs, but most of the time either or is part of the motivation. Or at least to others it is something that is representative of "church" work or "religion". I cringed again.

So this brash, rude and argumentative American was in Honduras sharing the love of Christ as part of a medical team. No wonder there are droves of people leaving the church stateside if this is what your average Christian acts like. So he was reading CS Lewis. So what? His actions were brash, rude and embarassing. Hope I don't sound too judgmental; that is always a risk when I observe and make an observation about irksome behavior.

The moral of this story? Let's also, or mostly, or even soley convey the love of Christ through our actions. Like St. Francis said, Share the Gospel always, use words if necessary.

Flying, Honduran Style

Hey, check it out (or check it out Dawg as Randy from American Idol would say). This is the puddle jumper we took from San Pedro Sula to Roatan. I wasn't shocked because I have done it before, but I thought my mom might need Valium to make it. She doesn't particularly like prop planes, especially small ones.

Lorainne are you reading this? (a friend who goes to great lengths to avoid anything that isn't jet service). Maria (our wonderful mutual friend) make sure she sees this, ok? And the good news is there is jet service directly to Roatan from the States, but for now only on Saturdays, and I wanted to stay more than a week. but less than two. So when you all come down to visit you can take a jet.

So back to my mom and prop planes. Not only did she have to get on, but they put her in the first row, the emergency row. I don't think she understood a word of the Spanglish the flight attendant spoke, informing her that she was in the emergency exit row (row one with complete view of cock pit when the door wasn't shut) and would be required to open the door in case of emergency. She nodded her head yes, and I though heaven help us, she can't get the lid off her penicillen bottle (tooth surgery the day before we left, just a precaution...but probably good for anything else that could possibly ail her while we are here) how on earth or in the sky will she get the door open on the airplane?

But we didn't need her to. What a relief.

So you see how they load the luggage, (speaking of which sometimes your bag can make it on in San Pedro Sula, but on the way to Roatan can get knocked off in La Ceiba, a stop on the way if there is more important or other baggage that is heavier or who knows what that also needs to get to Roatan). I know. This happened to me in February.

The ride was short, loud and ueventful. Not even a peanut to be had, but no worries, my dad even thought of that. He bought us a huge bottle of our very own.

Always an adventure!

Kathy's Travel Adventures...

So here I sit in yet another remote wireless location...the airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, waiting to board the flight for Roatan. And I found wireless.

These photos were taken at the crack of dawn today. Many of you have met my mom, but here is my dad. They are both 80. Don't they look great?! And what a help and trooper my dad was getting to LaGuardia.

We finally landed in NYC around 11:30 last night. Matt drove so I didn't have to fork over $225 to park the car in a questionably safe, and very remote location at the airport. We detoured by Cranford, NJ to pick up Carolyn, who navigated back out of the city with him, which was great, but by the time we bought Metro cards, chatted a bit, unwound, etc. is was 1:30 am and the alarm was set for 2:30. Yeah!

At my dad's swing vote and with his help we took public transportation at 3 am out to the airport. I think every TSA agent who screened us rode the same bus to work...and it was fine, and gave us a great chance to chat. And it was much cheaper than a taxi, and actually more spacious. See, my mom doesn't have the market cornered on frugality.

Other highlights of the day:

• I got excited that they might have needed volunteers. to give up their seats. That always makes me get really excited. The prospect of a free trip makes me certifiably giddy.
• We flew Continental and they fed us more than peanuts, not once, but twice. I hope it is not am prophetic statement about what the week ahead of eating will be like!
• There were two passengers who made one of the flight attendants really, really unhappy boarding. One tried to shove an absolutely not of carry on size luggage into the overhead and got really snide and nasty with the flight attendant when she suggested that perhaps it should be gate checked. The other unhappy traveller was a couple who were taking up three passenger's worth of space with a garment bag containing a wedding gown.
• On one of my too many trips back from the lavatory, because I drank a venti Starbucks in Houston, I noticed that the passenger who was ready to cause a riot over his oversized duffle was reading CS Lewis. Hmmm...
• Only two of our four checked bags arrived in San Pedro Sula. For us, it doesn't matter, they all contain donations. They will come tomorrow or the next day. We packed everything down to the toothpaste in our one carry on between the two of us (my mom travelled with me).
• As I sit here, ready to pack it up, I am sharing the electrical outlet with a priest at the next table who is enjoying some really wild YouTube postings. A rather racy rendition of The Locomotion just wafted my way. I glanced over and the singer/dancers were half clad. Another Hmmm...
• We only have one cumbersome bag to claim in Roatan, because a pastor from the San Pedro Sula Mennonite church came to accept one of the packed to fifty pound bags for his ministries. I was hoping it would be three, but the other two I wanted to give him are still stuck in Houston...
• One of the flight attendants gave me all the leftover breakfast bananas, yogurts and muffins to give away after we got off the plane. I gave them to one of the housekeeping ladies at the airport. It was the result of a simple conversation. I will get back to this in the next couple of days...

More later. Perhaps a Sunset. And reflections on Brian McLaren's latest book, EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE.

Time to board for Paradise.

Getting Ready to Leave...

Let me warn you; this post is liable to have "TMI" so read at your own risk!

This is the scene at my house this morning...those are bags on the floor that area going to Honduras with me, each packed to the 50 lb. limit. Notice the bathroom scale front right. All four bags contain donations for health and children's programs. I kicked myself two trips ago when I didn't pack to the limit and take donations with me. So my mom and I have packed everything for our trip in carry ons. We need a lesson or two (or many more) in how little we actually need to not only get by, but live well. That is one of the other things I love about going to Honduras; I come back with that renewed appreciation.

The other photo is of four girls...my two and two friends sprawled on the couch and on the floor. Last night was deemed the last sleepover at home for the summer night. Howie (my husband) thus decreed. Well, (and it's OK) he wasn't even home last night, and here I am getting ready to run away for ten days (no wonder, right?) and I have luggage and pre-teen girls all over my floor. What am I, nuts?

OK. So back to my day, getting ready to leave. My Internet worked at home for about seventeen minutes this morning then went out again...that was after cable guy came two days ago to fix it. I have now relocated from Dunkin Donuts to Brews 'N Bytes, a much nicer, yummier place to be, but the problem is I know too many people and like to talk too much, so that is why I need to flee. I get nothing, NADA, done. (I highly recommend the blueberry muffin with lemon icing. I decided not to eat the healthy option because I have too much to do and needed comfort food).

But before I came here, I decided I had better take a shower. Think I forgot for a couple of days, but hey, I have been to the pool...if my girls use that reasoning, if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me. Well, half way through the shower I realized it was trash day and the trash never went out. We just all forgot it was Tuesday going into Wednesday...well, with that many kids underfoot, who wouldn't? But it didn't go out last week while we were away either, so it HAD to go. I just hoped they hadn't come yet. Then I heard a rather loud truck noise as I was just stepping out of the shower and sure enough it was the JAWS truck pulling up at the end of my street. So I threw a large towel around myself and hoped I would drag all the barrels up to the top of the driveway before they got there, but I didn't quite make it. SO yes, I hauled my trash barrels up my driveway in a towel. In a neighborhood where people just don't do that kind of thing. Come to think of it, there probably isn't any neighborhood where that would be considered acceptable. But I was more covered than I am in a bathing suit if that is any consolation...

The rest of the afternoon goes something like this: Matt and Carolyn will be arriving hopefully in time for his 2 pm optho appointment. He would like to try extended wear contacts. Those are the only kind that will probably work for him...followed by 3 at ortho, followed by 4 at Internal Medicine. See what happens when you start paying for health insurance? He went off as of 7/31 and now we have the great joy of paying for his insurance through COBRA $415 and change a month. But he may need surgery on his wrist...his brother has been without health insurance for awhile and no problemo. Just the thought of Matt being without health insurance gives me indigestion...(He has broken his arm five times).

We will leave for NYC after I drop Nicole off at cheer leading practice and our plane takes off at 5:50 tomorrow am from LaGuardia.

I am running away to write, I have a contract with Regal for a book on Moms of the Bible, and am hoping that I can get lots done while I am there. It worked for me last summer, so I am sticking with a good thing. I will be staying at Blue Bahia (www.bluebahiaresort.com) and drink lots of coffee situated overlooking the ocean within close proximity of a bathroom.

I will be posting observations, wisdom gleaned from the simple life, and photos while away.

Peace, Kathy

Excellence in...Ministry, Life and Love

OK, I really wanted to write this post last night (too tired) and was really hoping I could take or find a beautiful, inspiring photo to go along with it, like of a rainbow, or a beautiful sunset, or some other wonderful, beautiful event. But I didn't.

Sunday we had the most amazing sermon at church. Steve Shank from EMM (Eastern Mennonite Missions) gave our message, and it was WONDERFUL. He spoke with passion, enthusiasm and humor. I knew it was a particularly powerful message when I saw several teens and young adults in the sanctuary leaning forward in their seats, listening intently.

Personally, I found it very affirming for the direction I believe we should move in. Both as the church and as individuals in life.

He "titled" his message Excellence in Ministry, and used 1 Corinthians 9:24 as the Scripture.
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one get the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." (My emphasis).

So Steve gave four principles which when practiced help us to win the prize:

1. You need to care more than others think is wise.
2. You need to risk more than others think is safe.
3. You need to dream more than others think is practical.
4. You need to believe more than others think is possible.

WOW! Think about it. Love with an unbridled passion. Care as if your life depends on it. Love as if your life depends on it. Jesus did.

Compassion is the springboard for ministry. You must be willing to take a risk. Steve spoke about why the Chinese are so effective in their ministry. The answer? They know what it is to suffer. The church in the West doesn't know how to suffer. Jesus suffered.

What about dreaming? Do you dream big dreams? Do you imagine possibilities beyond comprehension? Do you step out of the boat? Do you let God out of the box?

What about Belief? Act on belief and share the reason for your belief. Life without faith (and acting on that faith and calling) is a lukewarm comfortable life of complacency. And here is what Jesus had to say about being lukewarm, "So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you our of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). Uh-Oh. I don't want to get spit out.

So, Care, Risk, Dream and Believe. In live, in love and in ministry. I hope to get a copy of Steve's message told with incredible passion and humor and post it here at some point, if I can figure out how to do it...

Shalom.

Like Brother, Like SIster...My Two Redheads...

My two redheads, Nicole and Matt. I wish I could get my hands on pictures I have of both of them when they were each about two. They are interchangeable. You really couldn't tell them apart. Scary.
They both have incredibly strong personalities (must be the red hair) and unending energy. When it is channelled in creative, nurturing ways it is a beautiful thing. When the persistence approaches whining, I pull out my new favorite phrase, "I expect...(named behavior), you decide (whether to carry out said behavior or suffer the consequences) the entire time affirming how bright and smart she/they are. Granted, this technique is most appropriately practiced with Nicole (she hates it and I appreciate your prayers for patience and perseverance) but I think was happy to learn that it could be applied equally well to her brother.
My angst with Matt has revolved around him setting up his internship this fall at Ithaca College. In case you didn't know, I perfected the role of wooosie, enabling mother a few years back when we were going through some struggles (you can read about them in my first book...)and boy was I good at it! A performance worthy of an Oscar nomination, for sure...
Well, anyway, all that is standing between him and his college degree is a six credit internship. Let's just say filling out the appropriate paper work within the correct time frame has posed some, uh, problems, for me, anyway. I think he did just fine. Well, who wouldn't getting paid to snowboard in Vail during the winter and living in Boone, NC (albeit in a pop up camper) this summer working as a river guide. But everyone agrees this fall would be a great time to wrap it up.
So I have found every possible annoying mom way of asking if he has made the necessary phone call yet. I even used the "I expect/You decide" routine. Well, part of it is, I expect you do to blah, blah blah, and if you do, it will go well for you, if you don't, then...Well, guess what? I was the one it didn't really go that well for.
But then lo and behold, he made the phone call, on the day I didn't ask, no less, My Birthday! and it was the best gift.
So tomorrow he meets with the folks at Primitive Pursuits a Wilderness Organization in Ithaca and hopefully will get all his T's crossed and I's dotted. And it will go well for both of us.
In the meantime I will keep practicing my "I expects" with Nicole. I expect courtesy, respect, not to be interrupted and I have to say, slowly we are getting there.
I love their strong spirits although some days it really does wear me out.

We had an amazing, amazing message at church today about excellence in ministry. It could just as well be excellence in life...and that's a preview of tomorrow.
Shalom.

What Makes Birthdays Special...

What makes birthdays special? When you hit middle age, or twenty nine and several years of holding, the list is simple...

• Spending it with friends and family. Son Matt and girlfriend Carolyn in photo. There were nine of us, including my mom, Tianna, Nicole and my mom.


• Not having to cook, but not spending a small fortune on a meal, either. We boated to this great place and ate dockside and watched the sun set.


• Stopped on the way home for ice cream. YUM!


• Slept in till almost ten...


• Was just simply lazy (relaxed).


• Realized that Matt and Carolyn were also with us at the lake for Howie's birthday in May.


• Still have my dad living who I share my birthday with. He turned 80 today.


• Don't feel any older. Hope I don't act any older either :)

Peace.