My mom and aunt Louie have been watching Oprah's shows on the dangers of driving while on your cell phone. And my mom began a campaign to try to get me to stop using mine while driving.
The trouble for me, is that I drive in a straight line to work, 20 minutes, both directions. It's an easy commute...just keep driving straight. So I have found a habit of using this time as my time to call friends and family. My sister has commented that she always knows when it is 5:02 in Nebraska, because her phone mysteriously rings every day at this time (4:02 her time).
But mom has been laying it on thick...pleading for me to stop this habit now that I have a baby in me, and with hopes that I might end this bad practice before I'm trying to talk on the phone, drive my car and reach for fallen sippy cups on the floor of the back seat. (I've babysat enough to know this is very common.)
Rory has never approved of this multi-tasking either. The other day we were behind a car that was swerving so badly on the interstate, we truly thought the person was drunk. But she was just on her phone, tending to her toddler in the back seat and driving 75 miles an hour. He is happy that mom and Louie are pushing so hard.
So, beginning last Monday, I quit cold turkey. To do so, I literally had to start putting my bag with my phone in the back seat. If I left it accessible it was like my passenger seat became temptation island.
But the honest truth is...I had no idea I was this addicted, dependent and involved with that phone. This sort of healthy change can only lead to good things. I'll keep you posted.
it's time!
I just went to the store to get milk and saw a bin of watermelons. Skeptical that it might be too early, I decided to purchase just a quarter of a melon, wrapped up in plastic with a price tag of $1.79. I could take the risk with that price...if it was bad, it wouldn't be a huge loss.But oh, to my utter delight, it was divine. Which means, it is watermelon season!
I ate half of this piece pictured with a fork on the cutting board. No time for a plate. No time to take it to the table.
As I devoured this beauty, I thought of three memories:
1. At some point in our childhood, my brother told me (while eating watermelon at a family picnic) that if he ever fell into a lot of money, he would buy watermelons in bulk, eat just the middles and give the rest to the poor. And I remember thinking he was genius.
2. In highschool I went camping with a few girlfriends. While other high schoolers were consuming other things in large quantities, the four of us decided to get an enormous watermelon, and we ate the entire thing in one sitting. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it led to dozens of bathroom trips that night. Dozens of trips.
3. I remember with amazing clarity, the watermelon juice I was served one day in India. The watermelon had been in a cooler, and they put chunks in a blender, strained the seeds, and poured it into a frosty glass. It was hot that day, and I honestly had never been served anything more perfect in my whole life.
So here's to watermelon season! If it weren't for Christmas, I'd say it's the most wonderful time of the year.
a beautiful day at camp
After leading the adult retreat, I jumped right into more days of Adults with Special Needs. I had 26 people show up today, and we all got to take a hayrack ride, pontoon ride, go fishing and roast our hotdogs over the fire. We planted flowers and decorated flower pots for mothers day, made peanut butter pie, sang songs and shared in a Bible study. It was a busy, full day, and tomorrow I'll do it all again with another group of adults. The plan is to go to bed early tonight...
what a friend we have in Jesus
I just spent the past few days leading a retreat with this title for a great group of adults. We had a nice three days together, and shared many helpful and thoughtful conversations.
The focus of the retreat was on Psalms and Prayer. We learned a lot, and by the end of the retreat, I had them writing their own Psalm, based on the 23rd Psalm. We called them our Personal Psalm 23, taking each stanza and writing new words to correspond to our first line, "The Lord is my ______." We shared these Personal Psalms the last day, and there were lots of tears shed. It's amazing how powerful it is to recite the promises of God for our own individual circumstances.
I wrote one, and thought I'd share it with you.
My Personal Psalms 23:
The Lord is my baby's maker
He is the best creator, the king of all creation, and I have nothing to fear.
He knit me in my mother's womb
and I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
With great care, he is knitting this baby just the same.
He is good to teach me so much during this expectant time
like how the fierce love that I feel towards this child
is the same fierce love he has for me.
Even though I've missed a day or two of taking my prenatal vitamin,
I will not live in fear.
This is your kid. You are the one who started its beating heart.
You have a purpose and a plan for this little life; a future and a hope.
Even though hard days will come, and mistakes will be made,
You promise to be there.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and the little life inside of me,
and we will worship and praise your name forever.
***
If you're looking for something new to try during your quiet time, give this a whirl. It's amazing how many promises we have stored in our hearts, and to write them out...applied to the worry or concern you are facing at this very moment is powerful and nurturing.
The focus of the retreat was on Psalms and Prayer. We learned a lot, and by the end of the retreat, I had them writing their own Psalm, based on the 23rd Psalm. We called them our Personal Psalm 23, taking each stanza and writing new words to correspond to our first line, "The Lord is my ______." We shared these Personal Psalms the last day, and there were lots of tears shed. It's amazing how powerful it is to recite the promises of God for our own individual circumstances.
I wrote one, and thought I'd share it with you.
My Personal Psalms 23:
The Lord is my baby's maker
He is the best creator, the king of all creation, and I have nothing to fear.
He knit me in my mother's womb
and I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
With great care, he is knitting this baby just the same.
He is good to teach me so much during this expectant time
like how the fierce love that I feel towards this child
is the same fierce love he has for me.
Even though I've missed a day or two of taking my prenatal vitamin,
I will not live in fear.
This is your kid. You are the one who started its beating heart.
You have a purpose and a plan for this little life; a future and a hope.
Even though hard days will come, and mistakes will be made,
You promise to be there.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and the little life inside of me,
and we will worship and praise your name forever.
***
If you're looking for something new to try during your quiet time, give this a whirl. It's amazing how many promises we have stored in our hearts, and to write them out...applied to the worry or concern you are facing at this very moment is powerful and nurturing.
Happy May Day!
I made this little bouquet a few weeks ago, knowing that it would be the May basket I would give to my neighbor friend. Rory and I delivered it this morning and we ended up sitting down for a while and reconnecting. People, this is why I love May Day. It's just a good reason to get out there and see people you haven't seen in a while.I used the same jar I used for my fabric flowers, but filled it with coffee beans this time, instead of jellybeans. The bonus? This bouquet of paper flowers smells divine.
I found the instructions on how to make these super simple flowers here. They were really fun to make, and an easy project to do in an evening.
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