A LONG LONG TIME AGO-IN A FARAWAY LAND

Thirty Six years ago tonight (A LONG TIME!) in Marshall, Texas(A Faraway Land), BC & I said, "I Do". Our long time and faithful friends, Barbara & Mark were our witnesses and baby-sitters for the weekend. For some strange reason that I do not even remember, we chose to get married on the night of the Bank's Stockholder's Meeting where BC & Mark worked. This meant we did not even LEAVE Ruston until probably 8 o'clock. I wonder now all these years later, if BC sat through that meeting thinking, "WHAT AM I DOING?" The blood test had been taken, the license had been purchased, and the justice of the peace was waiting, so perhaps the snowball had started down the hill and it was too late to stop it. I will never know! Anyway we were married and spent a honeymoon night in Marshall and the next in Dallas before heading home since I was still a Tech student and he had to go to work on Monday morning. It was a wonderful weekend and I still have fond memories, even though it is almost like it happened in another lifetime.

FAST FAST FAST FORWARD to February, 2009. We pass swiftly through 2 houses, 2 more babies, 3 graduations, two careers, 2 & 1/2 grand babies, losing loved ones, and caring for others. We have had many many good times and more laughs that I can recount. We have lived through trials, tribulations, celebrations, and just laughing and crying side by side now for all of these years. I am always honest when asked and tell young people that marriage is hard work. Hard work-no matter how long you have been married. Marriage is about giving more than 50% and not keeping score. Marriage is not just a state of being-marriage is an act of doing-everyday as you walk side by side.

Here we are all these years later, and I am reflecting upon why we are still married. We are not still married because I love BC. We are still married because I love God. God's teaching and God's desire for my life is the glue that has held us together for all of these years. The example of the grace lavished upon us and the undeserving love that is ours is my benchmark. The love of Jesus for his bride, The Church, is the vision that I keep my eyes on. Through the grace of God and his abundant love for us, we have managed to stay beside each other through all of these years. The desire of His heart is where I keep my heart.

So tomorrow will be another day and we will have been married 36 years and one day. My plan is to stay married until one of us is taken from the other. My desire is to continue to model my relationship with BC after the relationship that God has with us. He ALWAYS gives more, He ALWAYS loves more, He WILL ever be faithful, and He Will NEVER forsake us. I am blessed by the love of Our Father and the love of the man that He placed in my life. I TRULY AM BLESSED!

FIVE MALE EGOS & MOVING DAY!

I know you all have heard of "Two Men & A Truck"-the moving company. Yesterday I observed "Five Men and A Truck & A Trailer" moving company. Friday night Pete told us that he was moving back to TN to be close to his family since he had lost his job this week. A tough week for Pete, but when you hear the details of how God worked it out in a few days for him to be back close to his boys it is wonderful. I asked did Pete have help moving and he said Steve(his old small group leader) was helping. I QUICKLY volunteered our guys to go help also. I am REALLY good at volunteering other people like that!

When we pulled up this is what greeted us-a truck and a U-Haul trailer. I immediately thought-NO WAY- is he going to get all of his "Stuff" in there. BC, James, Jim, Steve and Pete went to work and I stayed out of the way. TOO many male egos are a scary thing!

I was VERY impressed with how well they worked together AND that they got all of Pete's stuff packed in the truck and trailer. They were never cross, listened to one another, worked on solving space issues, and in general DID A GREAT JOB! No slackers-they all pitched in and did everything down to cleaning out the frig. Another example of "The Body of Christ" doing life together!

A Two Bedroom Apartment Has To Fit Into Here!

Pete & BC wrapping the television with a mattress
WHO is giving the orders?

Jim & Steve packing TIGHTLY!

They VERY patiently loaded and reloaded to get it all in.

Pete & BC finding another cubby hole to put something in.

The Guys packing the kitchen.

How many men does it take to pack one bunk bed ladder?

They let me enjoy their break with them after a job well done!

Final Step-Hooking The Trailer Up-TEAM WORK To The End!

The true miracle of the day is that I kept my mouth shut and just watched. I think I am an expert at packing and moving, so that was NO SMALL THING! It was quite enjoyable seeing the guys complete the job and WITHOUT a female telling them how to do it!

We will miss Pete who had become a Friday night regular and a new member of Small Group. We do look forward to seeing how God continues to put him -Just Where He Wants Him! It is truly a wonder to watch God work in the lives of those that He loves. GOOD BYE, PETE!

I WILL NOT GO THERE!

I have rolling around in the vast expanse called "My Mind" a blog. I am trying to not go there since it will lead to questions and suppositions from some of my readers. Many times when I write in vague analogies and metaphors, I have those that are guessing incorrect or thinking I am writing about them. The topic was to be "Which Way Do You Tip The Scale" and I will leave it at that.

RECENT SMALL GROUP FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER

DO WE LOOK LIKE WE ARE ENJOYING EACH OTHER?

SARAH, OUR FAVORITE WAITRESS, AT "THE SUNDOWN"

Almost every Friday night our small group meets and eats together. It makes for an enjoyable evening and plenty of laughs. Last night we met at "Sundown" which is BC's favorite place to meet. The temperatures were nice and we were able to sit on the patio and enjoy the late evening. As a Great surprise, Friend Helen, was able to eat with us while David &Rachel & Boys stayed with Dale. It was a great evening!

MENTORS AND PEERS

God graciously places a few of his Saints in our lives that have a life changing impact on us. While I can actually think of quite a few that God has placed in my path that have blessed me, I especially have these two on my mind today.

Artie is one of those Godly women that you are privileged to call a friend in your life. She not only loves The Lord, but she has spent countless hours pursuing Him. She inspires me! When Artie speaks, we all listen. A proverbial fountain of Godly wisdom flows from the lady!

Life has not always been easy for Artie, and yet she has this aura of peace and joy that we all would love to possess. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to sit beside Artie and gleam from her as we live life together in Small Group. Truly you only have a few people in your life that you call "Mentor", but I am blessed to do just that.
And then-there is sweet Helen. I consider Helen my peer-or my contemporary. A rare jewel of the faith that I also call friend. I have known Helen for a long time, but since we have been in Small Group together, our friendship has blossomed and grown. I ALWAYS know where I stand with Helen. When discussing personality types one day in a group, I announced to all that I was "Passive Aggressive" and came from a long line of this personality type. Helen quickly chimed in and said she was also. WE ALL CRACKED UP! There is NOTHING passive about Helen! You don't even have to ask-she will be glad to tell you just how she feels about something. It is GREAT fun to bat things around with her and we are never together that we don't enjoy a good laugh. Another great blessing that God placed in my path.

Helen appeared at group unexpectedly last night. Her husband, Dale is very ill with ALS. ALS is a very unkind disease. Dale only has the movement of his eyelids now and is able to communicate only sporadically with a computer. He has been on a respirator for over a year and Helen has been his constant nurse and companion during the entire year. She very rarely ever leaves his side. It has been a tough-bone weary year for her. She has shown great grace under tremendous pressure, but the struggle continues. Life is a struggle for Helen and yet, she loves her friends and family well-even in the midst of her own suffering. How I wish I could do anything to alleviate the suffering of Helen and Dale-but all I can do is be a friend and PRAY-and believe me-we ALL are praying!

I am thankful for the women that God has placed in my life and the wonderful friendships we have nurtured and grown. My prayer is that I will watch and learn and then live the life that they pattern before me. What a blessing!

HEY, MAYBE I CAN COOK AFTER ALL!

I took a series of cooking classes with local chef, Terry Plammondon, a few years ago. I have always been an OCD when it came to cooking. I needed to know how much-what order- etc. etc. I felt the need to have a recipe and a series of instructions for almost every dish. Terry is a fly by the seat of your pants chef. You add to your taste based upon certain parameters for the dish. I would watch him cook, while helping with the preparation and try to guess how much of each ingredient he was adding. It almost drove me crazy and he got tired of me asking, "About how much of that did you add?" I loved his classes though and learned a great deal.

Tonight when thinking about dinner, I had not been able to make a trip to the grocery after deciding upon a meal. I was sitting here waiting for a telephone call from a doctor (Adam, we need to discuss this!) and could not leave. (HELLO, DUMMY-give your cell phone number!) I went into the kitchen and inventoried the ingredients I had on hand. I ended up making a chicken pasta in a cream sauce. It was delicious and ALL BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS! I added seasonings until I got the desired taste and just went with what I had.

The ULTIMATE compliment-BC said it was delicious! It takes practice to fly by the seat of your pants-BUT-I am feeling pretty good about lessons that were a long time coming and finally crossing the bridge of hit and miss. PERHAPS I AM A RECOVERING OCD!

HEED MY WARNING!

Today was my semi-annual visit to the dermatologist. If you play-YOU PAY! As a child I had more burns than I care to recount. As a teenager, I loved lying out and soaking up rays. As a young adult, I discovered Florida and the beach and more sun worshipping. The last 30 years I have spent running in the sun and working in the yard-in the sun. I finally got wise after having a skin cancer removed from my forehead over 10 years ago, but the damage had been done. By staying out of the sun now and wearing sunscreen, I am avoiding further damage, but my visits to the doctor are not fun.

Today I had two biopsies and two places burned off. I would love to have that glow that only comes from long hours in the sun, but I promise you the price is STEEP and NOT WORTH IT!

SUPER BOWL / SUPER GROUP

We have a wonderful "Small Group". The purpose of "Small Group" is to live life together with a Christian perspective. We meet mid week and study "The Word" together, socialize together, hold each other accountable, and serve each other. It is a wonderful blessing! This week we spent a good deal of time together. We met Wednesday night to dicuss Christian confrontation, ate dinner together Friday night, and watched the Super Bowl together tonight while enjoying GOOD EATS!

Friday Night Dinner

The Other Side of the Table
Gathered Together To Watch The Exciting Game

We Cheered For Our Team, Ate Together, & Rated The Commercials

It was a great weekend and we are blessed with dear friends who we are "Doing Life" with.