For all the writing and typing I do, I find myself easily amused by my typos.  When the wrong letter is typed, it can make for a new word that will just tickle my funny bone.  Such as the time I typed “Sunday” and came out with “Sinday”.  Hmm.  A day of sin just might be the truth for some people!  And then the time I typed “son-in-law” and came out with “son-in-love” … Awww   🙂   There have been so many more of these fun typos … I shall try to write them down more often and share them with you.

However, today I had fun with a word when I put a space in the middle.  I am sewing a dragon costume … no … TWO dragon costumes … and came up with “drag on”.  Ha!  These costumes must be done by June and I’ve been dragging my feet … while these dragons haunted me!  Now I really DO have a dragon that affects my life … I talk about it in my book, Amanda, Perfectly Made.  See!  It’s on page 112:

Now here is my kitchen floor with the dragon fabric and pattern pieces everywhere.  I’m talking a lot of fabric that needs a lot of space:

So I got to thinking about things in life that ‘drag on’ … like long illnesses, difficult relationships, a challenging job, or long cold winters.  The bible says nothing about things in life being a drag … or dragging on … probably not the common lingo back then.  Now I found a lot about dragons – but that was all in Revelations and that didn’t fit my story.

The online Free Dictionary defines ‘drag on’ as something that lasts unnecessarily long, or proceeds for an extended period of time.  If that ‘something’ is something we like, then we enjoy that long period of time.  When that ‘something’ is something we DON’T like, it can seem to last forever.  But I think that sometimes, those things that drag on – drag on for a reason.  Perhaps God is teaching us patience?  (I heard you all groan – we never have enough patience do we?)  Perhaps the bad job situation dragged on because the time was not yet right for that awesome job change?  And a long wait for something to end, change, or improve, usually means that we have something to look forward to and that long wait will make the reward all the more sweet.

Although the bible does not use ‘drag on’ in its text – it does use the word “endurance.”  Ahh … now that’s a word we can hear from God about!

Romans 5:3-4 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

I am excited about the dragon costumes!  Look at all the fun fabrics and stuff I have to put towards dragon wings and dragon spikes and a shimmery dragon chest:

I hope my work on completing these costumes does not drag on ‘til the end of the month!  Haha.  (I’ll share a picture of them when I’m done.)  But if you are enduring something that seems to drag on and drag on … be encouraged that there is an end in sight, and God will surely grow some part of you in the process.

Just Laurel

At my place of work we have different doctors doing surgery every day.  The doctors are of, shall we say, varying personalities.  Some are pleasant, some are not, and some are patient, while others are … not.  One doctor in particular seems always angry.  Always … nasty.  His brow is always furrowed, he is always in a hurry, and nothing is ever right.  I actually laugh to myself when I see him in his irritated huffs because it seems it is taking so darn much energy for him to be so cross all the time.

The other day, said doctor was done with surgery for the day and our head nurse called to him as he was briskly walking down the hall and away from where we were.  He had rounded the corner and she thought he was gone.  I hurried after him to stop him so that the nurse could speak to him, and I found him standing in place around the corner with a big relaxed smile on his face.  He had heard the nurse call to him and, pretending that he had gotten away from her, had actually stopped around the corner to catch her off guard.  I barely recognized him.  He was transformed by his smile.  He was handsome.  He looked friendly.  He looked like a nice guy.  Wow.

And then ….

Many of you know about Amanda and how she must sleep with her AVAP machine (like a bi-pap) to stay in good respiratory health.  She has been taking her AVAP mask off at night, which is causing her to have poor oxygen exchange and lung function.  During the days she has been pale, with decreased energy, lips that are tinging blue, and basically an obvious decrease in health.  (Hence the reason we are going to move her to a group home ASAP with 24-hour care so they can help her keep her mask on at night.) Last night I spent the night at her apartment and slept on the couch.  I set my phone alarm for every hour on the hour so I would wake up and check on her.  I put her to bed at 10:30pm.  I checked on her at 11pm.  At midnight.  At 1 … at 2 … at 3am.  She slept soundly and the mask was in place.  At 4am she had it off and I promptly snapped it back on her face.  She said to me, “I was just gonna lay her a while …. You better hope (after putting this mask back on me) that I fall back asleep or I will be mad at you.”  It stayed on another hour and at 5am we were both up for the day.  I had to be to work at 6am.  She had a wonderful day!  Even her staff person noticed that she was more awake and energetic than she had been for a long time.  Transformed.

It’s amazing how a smile, or some positive behavior (like wearing your mask at night Amanda!) can transform a person into someone better.  A sour attitude, poor health habits, constantly emphasizing the negative, or always tearing things apart (literally or figuratively) can make a person miserable, sad, and not-so-fun to be around.

If life has gotten you down lately, I hope you can try to look up … literally … and find the peace, strength, and joy that Christ can provide.  Try smiling.  Turn your frown upside-down! See the glass as half full.  Try changing your bad habits to healthier habits. Count your blessings and share some happy vibes.  Stop being the ‘downer’ negative person. Transform yourself – and let God help!

I don’t know.

Personally, I just find it easier to find contentment when I can – and not to wallow in the muck of life.

Just Laurel

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

My daughter Jillian attends Ross School of Veterinary Medicine which is located on St. Kitts Island way down in the Caribbean.  It was so hard sending her off to such a foreign land.  As her parents, Ted and I worried about her safety, health, and well-being in such a faraway place.  It made it much easier knowing that she had her husband with her.  We trusted Andy to keep both of them safe.  He offered all the physical and emotional support that has, so far, gotten her through four of seven semesters.

This next semester it all changes.  Andy will be staying in the states to start work on his doctorate.  Jillian will return (following her semester break home here in Michigan) to school by herself.  We are all a little nervous about it.  One issue that came up was that of cell phones for communication.  Jill and Andy have cell phones on the island – and those phones really are for use only on the island.  Jill had a phone that she used in the states – when she was in the states.  As Jill was trying to explain to me the different kinds of phones and service plans while trying to figure out who needed what kind of phone, she made this comment to me that summarized the goal she was trying to achieve:

“I just want to have Andy in my pocket.”

That hit me like a rush of wind and caused my heart to sigh and my eyes to tear.  She has depended on him for the past sixteen months and he has always been there to help.  Now she will be flying solo so to speak and wants a direct line to him.

It made me think 🙂

We all have available to us the very best source of help we could ever need – and it is in our pockets.  When things are going wrong and we need to cry out for help – simply take your hands out of your pockets, put them together, and pray.

I want to help Jill as much as I can while she is far away at school.  I am frustrated that I cannot call anytime I want (she is in class or it costs too much), I cannot send frequent care packages (you can’t believe how expensive it is to mail a package to an island in the Caribbean), and I can’t drive over there for a quick day or weekend visit to take her out to eat or spoil her with a shopping trip.  All I can do is pray.

I know there are a lot of moms out there with adult children who are living far away, attending school in another state, or who are not just physically distant, but have distanced themselves emotionally leaving a huge relationship gap.  Don’t forget that you have the most powerful method of assistance available at your fingertips and in your very own pockets.  Your hands.  Just pray.

Jilly, you can do it!  Andy loves you.  There are lots of friends and family who love you.  And God loves you.  Trust Him.

I’ll be here praying for you.

Just Laurel
(just mom)

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

On Palm Sunday our church presented a drama and musical presentation where we transformed the front of the church in to the city of Jerusalem.  With actors and singing, our audience got to see Jesus healing the crippled, changing lives, and making His triumphant entry into the city while people waved palm branches.  It was in this Palm Sunday presentation that I portrayed the adulteress woman who was to be stoned – and was spared by Jesus who asked the crowd, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  The woman is not stoned – and in our presentation – she sings a song of being forgiven and how “to sin is surely human but forgiveness – is divine.”

On Maundy Thursday, our drama presentation continued with a crowd of people finding Jesus in the garden where Judas kisses and betrays Jesus.  Our small crowd of actors and actresses were having a little trouble getting into character and rabble-rousing so I offered to put on my bland townspeople costume from the weekend before and help them.  As Jesus was arrested following Judas’ kiss, we had to shout in anger, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”

What happened after that church service still leaves me in breathless fascination.

I had changed out of my costume and back into ‘normal’ clothes and was talking in the gathering space with an old friend.  Circling around me was a young eight year old girl in our congregation named Lucy.  We knew each other, although she never really speaks to me individually.  She may be with her parents while I speak to them, but more likely she is darting in and out of other people, chasing her siblings.  This time she was right up next to me, actually brushing against my clothes, and was trying to patiently wait for my break in conversation to obviously speak to me.  I was curious and so I stopped my conversation with my friend and looked down at Lucy and asked her, “Do you have something to say to me Lucy?”  She stopped and looked up at me.  “Why did you yell ‘crucify Him’ to Jesus today when last week you were so happy he forgave you?”

I was stunned.

I was speechless.

Out of the mouths of babes.

I put a hand on each of Lucy’s cheeks and looked her straight in the eye and replied, “Lucy you are the only one who noticed.”

She watched me on Palm Sunday and heard my grateful praise to Jesus.  And then she recognized me in my same costume shouting in anger with the demands that Jesus be crucified.

Sadly, isn’t that what we all do?  Especially at Easter when we all attend church and sing joyfully that “Jesus Christ is risen today – hallelujah!”  And then tomorrow we curse him when our car won’t start, our spouse angers us, or life throws a challenge at us.  Why are we so quick to praise God, then blame him for what we don’t like?

Thank you, Lucy, for your Easter message to me.  I had to share it.  It is such a simple lesson but one that is so very great.  If we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we’d best live our lives like we mean it every day.  It’s not just a Sunday habit, is it?  And tomorrow when we are at work or somewhere at play, we must continue to walk hand in hand with Jesus.  To deny Him is like shouting “crucify Him”.

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Hallelujah!

Just Laurel

I’m afraid I’ve been a bit on the negative side lately with the challenges we are facing in potentially moving Amanda, and the dealings with agencies and caseworkers. Thanks for letting me air my frustrations! I would like today’s note to be a positive one. Aren’t most ‘comments’ and ‘reviews’ negative and full of complaints and all the things gone wrong? I have been reminded to include the positive things too.

The following was posted by Anna – I saw it on Facebook and asked her if I could repost it and she said “yes”. Anna takes care of a special needs young adult, but is also a part time worker for my very own Amanda.

“It’s pretty great to make such a positive impact on a person’s life. Helping people with disabilities has opened my eyes more to seeing people dealing with the trials in their life, rather than just seeing the disability itself. Being able to be a part of their life, actually see life through their eyes, understanding the pain that they feel. These people have had more surgeries, more judgment, more awkward stares, and more emotion than most can imagine. To be completely dependent on others, having their privacy completely invaded in every imaginable instance, and still having the love and trust in others is something I can never fully comprehend. I’m honored to be able to be a part of these people’s lives. And to think, when I started this job I thought I would be helping them, but instead of me being a positive influence on them, they have been an even bigger one on me.”

Thank you Anna.

Just Laurel

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.