my blog, that is. Not our family.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
The real me
I got dressed in the semi-darkness this morning. I reached for what I thought was my tan button down shirt and proceeded to get dressed. I went along my merry way, coming down stairs and getting children dressed. At some point, I glanced at the cuff of my shirt and noticed a grease stain. "That's weird," I said to myself. "My lavender shirt has the same stain. I didn't know this one did too." But I went on with getting breakfast finished and the thought went out of my head.
It was while I was sitting down at breakfast, a good..I don't know... hour after getting dressed, that I noticed something. I was talking to Malachi, who sits right next to me at the table, when my brain finally registered what I was seeing. I was wearing my lavender shirt. The one with the grease stain on the cuff. Yeah, that one. It completely didn't go with my jumper. Not even close. It fact, it looked really, really bad.
I'm wondering how I could have gone for at least an hour in a good amount of light and not noticed what I was wearing. I could defiantly see my arms, but some how it still alluded my brain. So after breakfast, I went back upstairs and changed my shirt. I looks much better now.
So why did I post such a silly thing for all to read who want to? Well, I suppose it's because I want people to see and know that I'm real. I do stupid things (and trust me, I have a lot more that were far stupider than this!). I do silly things. I have moments where all you can do is roll your eyes and shake your head from side to side ( like the other day, when I know what that gluten poison stuff is going to do to me, but I give in anyway and eat the Oreo, the yogurt covered pretzel and the chocolate coated graham cracker. All I had was 1 each, yet I had a horrible head ache the next day, was very lethargic and quite tired. Yeah, I know. Dumb.).
*sigh* Yep, I real folks. Horribly, sinfully real. Oreos' and all.
It was while I was sitting down at breakfast, a good..I don't know... hour after getting dressed, that I noticed something. I was talking to Malachi, who sits right next to me at the table, when my brain finally registered what I was seeing. I was wearing my lavender shirt. The one with the grease stain on the cuff. Yeah, that one. It completely didn't go with my jumper. Not even close. It fact, it looked really, really bad.
I'm wondering how I could have gone for at least an hour in a good amount of light and not noticed what I was wearing. I could defiantly see my arms, but some how it still alluded my brain. So after breakfast, I went back upstairs and changed my shirt. I looks much better now.
So why did I post such a silly thing for all to read who want to? Well, I suppose it's because I want people to see and know that I'm real. I do stupid things (and trust me, I have a lot more that were far stupider than this!). I do silly things. I have moments where all you can do is roll your eyes and shake your head from side to side ( like the other day, when I know what that gluten poison stuff is going to do to me, but I give in anyway and eat the Oreo, the yogurt covered pretzel and the chocolate coated graham cracker. All I had was 1 each, yet I had a horrible head ache the next day, was very lethargic and quite tired. Yeah, I know. Dumb.).
*sigh* Yep, I real folks. Horribly, sinfully real. Oreos' and all.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A dimes worth of something
"I payed a dime for a package of seeds;
The clerk tossed them out with a flip.
'We have them assorted to every man's needs.'
He said with a smile on his lip.
'Pansies, poppies, asters, peas,
Ten cents a package, now pick as you please.'
Now seeds are just dimes to a man in a store,
And dimes are the things he needs,
And I've been to buy them in stores before
And thought them merely as seeds,
But it flashed through my mind as I took them this time,
'You've purchased a miracle here for a dime.'
You've a dimes worth of power, which no man can create.
You've a dimes worth of life in your hands.
You've a dimes worth of mystery, destiny, fate,
Which the wisest cannot understand.
In this bright little package - now isn't that odd?
You've a dimes worth of something known only to God."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Dear Jennifer,
I heard, through the grape vine, that you are in the process of trying to lose weight. Good for you! I know from personal experience that it is hard and I thought perhaps you are having some difficulty. I thought I would take the time and send you and little note, encouraging you to keep it up and to keep vigil of the things you do and eat.
Here are a few of my thoughts (the order is of no importance):
1. Exercise is not of the devil. Don't avoid it like the plague. Make it a point to do some kind of exercise every day. It will make a difference.
2. Don't think, that because the butter cream frosting is made with maple syrup or honey, that it's better for you than if it was made with powdered sugar. It does not mean that you can take a swipe with your finger every time you walk by. Or that you can lick the bowl clean. It's a lie.
3. I know you have switched over to eating gluten-free, naturally sweetened food. That's a great idea, esp. since you are defiantly seeing a difference. However, you should stop playing with different recipes. If you don't have the "sweets" and such around, the temptation to eat them will disappear.
4. I know you dislike throwing away food ~ as do I. But eating the last 2 pieces of cake because no one else likes it, is not a good reason at all, however noble it might sound.
5. Don't get discouraged! I know how frustrating it can be when you lose the same 2 pounds three times! But if you follow the advice above, you will get past this.
Please don't take offense and think that I'm meddling. I really do care about where you are and how you're dewing doing.
Here are a few of my thoughts (the order is of no importance):
1. Exercise is not of the devil. Don't avoid it like the plague. Make it a point to do some kind of exercise every day. It will make a difference.
2. Don't think, that because the butter cream frosting is made with maple syrup or honey, that it's better for you than if it was made with powdered sugar. It does not mean that you can take a swipe with your finger every time you walk by. Or that you can lick the bowl clean. It's a lie.
3. I know you have switched over to eating gluten-free, naturally sweetened food. That's a great idea, esp. since you are defiantly seeing a difference. However, you should stop playing with different recipes. If you don't have the "sweets" and such around, the temptation to eat them will disappear.
4. I know you dislike throwing away food ~ as do I. But eating the last 2 pieces of cake because no one else likes it, is not a good reason at all, however noble it might sound.
5. Don't get discouraged! I know how frustrating it can be when you lose the same 2 pounds three times! But if you follow the advice above, you will get past this.
Please don't take offense and think that I'm meddling. I really do care about where you are and how you're dewing doing.
Love,
Jennifer
Jennifer
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Children
* I felt it necessary, due to the nature of this post, to put a disclaimer at the beginning. I am in no way judging someone else for their different beliefs or thoughts on this matter. I am simply stating my opinions and how I view things. And perhaps my words will help someone think on these things, where not much thought has been put. *
I have been thinking about children lately. Not just my own, but children in general. Children are an obvious need in a society, something that many countries in Europe and in Asia are "discovering". When you don't repopulate yourself, you die out. But is that all children are good for? To keep a society going?
If asked, I think most people would say that the like/love children. Based on their actions, one would have to question that.
Lets say you have a young couple who just got married. It's understood, even if it's not talked about, that they will "wait" for an allotted amount of time (usually 2 years) to have children. The wife is on birth control and she is taught that she must take that faithfully. Never mind that no one ever told her, or her husband, that the birth control pill is, at least a percentage of the time, an abortive substance. And that any form of birth control that alters that hormones in ones body, and changes that way our body works, can have life time effects. For how could it not? If you took a medicine that changed that way your heart beat, would you be surprised that it effected you? But so many people are surprised to find out that by taking these synthetic hormones, a woman's body is changed and altered.
So our couple waits for a few years and then announces that they are expecting their first child. Everyone is excited and happy for our couple. A few years later, they add another child to their family. Again, everyone is excited and happy for them. This is the typical family of 4 in America. (And yes, 4 is the average number of a family in our country. Just go into any restaurant and see how many tables are set up for 4 people.) The husband and wife both like children and have always wanted them. And now, after 2 children, they are done. How many times have you heard that comment? And does that comment really portray a love for children? I have heard so many different reason for a couple being "done" having children: "I've never wanted more than 2", "This is all we can afford", "My children are getting (or are in) to the stage where they can do things for themselves and I like it".... and so on and so on. I'm not going to say that these are bad things to think or say, but upon reading them, what kind-of attitude do you get from them? Is that an attitude that we, as Christians, should have?
If our couple were indeed to "stop" at 2 children, no one would say anything. It would be accepted that they wouldn't have anymore children. However, lets say that they wanted more children and so they added a 3rd child to their family. People would still be happy for them and they would still find room at restaurants to sit down without having to push tables together. Now is the time some people would beginning to ask, "You're done, right?". To which our couple reply's...how?
If our couple has a 4th child, they will get the raised eyebrows and the question "are they all yours?"(If they continue to have children, they will hear this question for the next 20 years!) They will most likely hear the "you are not being responsible" talk from their parents and the "your breeding like rabbits!" comment from their friends. Not always, but these are usually things people in our society say. You know, the same people who stated above that they like/love children, but when someone has many children, that like/love for children seems to be forgotten.
As Christians, we should care what God has to say about things. So what does the Lord say about children? In Psalm 127, it states that " Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. " (I am not trying to promote the "quiver full" mentality with this one. Most people forget my "quiver full" of children is not the same number as yours. The Duggar family obviously has a quiver full of at least 19 children, while a couple I know has a quiver full of 0 children.)
In the Mosaic law, it states that if a pregnant woman is hurt by another person and the baby is born early, but is not harmed, than the woman's husband should be paid a certain amount. But if the baby should die, than the person who first harmed the pregnant woman should be stoned to death. (It tells you a lot about what He think about abortion, doesn't it? But that's another post.).
Again we find in Psalm 128, "Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel." (It was a sign of wealth for a man to have many olive plants and a fruitful vineyard. The Lord is clear here that what a man is blessed with from Him is not material wealth, but a wealth of a heritage with children.)
Most people already know how Jesus felt about children, when He rebuked his disciples for trying to "shoo" the children away form Him. So does our society, with it's "2 children is enough" mentality, really portray a love for children? Some of the most harshest criticisms that large families get, come for the Church itself.
If you thought that a million dollars was a blessing from the Lord, would you say "no thank you" if He came back and offered you another million after already giving you 2 million? I don't know anyone who would do this! Yet this is what people do with children. God created this world just by speaking. He didn't lift a finger, He didn't have to move anything. He just spoke. Don't you think He's also capable of providing for you, in every way (financially, emotionally, mentally, physically), if He chooses to bless you with another child?
Where do you stand? Do you cherish children the way the Lord does? Do you view them as blessings given to you from the Lord? Or do you agree with the prevailing though in our society: that children are necessary for re-population, but nothing more. They are cute in their little Easter dresses and suites, but we must protect our planet and not introduce anymore "carbon footprints" then we have to. As I look at Damaris, I wonder how many children, like her, never get to be because they would have been born past the 2 child mark. How many children in our recent history, never got a chance at life.
It's hard. I takes much sacrifice to be a parent, whether it's a parent to 1 or 19. And it takes faith to trust the only One who really has the control anyway. And yes, this is faith that at 2 am in the morning, when you've been up for too long with a sick child, you question. But when you look into one of these precious, beautiful faces (faces, that if left to popular thinking, would never be here, smiling at you), God's way makes sense.
I have been thinking about children lately. Not just my own, but children in general. Children are an obvious need in a society, something that many countries in Europe and in Asia are "discovering". When you don't repopulate yourself, you die out. But is that all children are good for? To keep a society going?
If asked, I think most people would say that the like/love children. Based on their actions, one would have to question that.
Lets say you have a young couple who just got married. It's understood, even if it's not talked about, that they will "wait" for an allotted amount of time (usually 2 years) to have children. The wife is on birth control and she is taught that she must take that faithfully. Never mind that no one ever told her, or her husband, that the birth control pill is, at least a percentage of the time, an abortive substance. And that any form of birth control that alters that hormones in ones body, and changes that way our body works, can have life time effects. For how could it not? If you took a medicine that changed that way your heart beat, would you be surprised that it effected you? But so many people are surprised to find out that by taking these synthetic hormones, a woman's body is changed and altered.
So our couple waits for a few years and then announces that they are expecting their first child. Everyone is excited and happy for our couple. A few years later, they add another child to their family. Again, everyone is excited and happy for them. This is the typical family of 4 in America. (And yes, 4 is the average number of a family in our country. Just go into any restaurant and see how many tables are set up for 4 people.) The husband and wife both like children and have always wanted them. And now, after 2 children, they are done. How many times have you heard that comment? And does that comment really portray a love for children? I have heard so many different reason for a couple being "done" having children: "I've never wanted more than 2", "This is all we can afford", "My children are getting (or are in) to the stage where they can do things for themselves and I like it".... and so on and so on. I'm not going to say that these are bad things to think or say, but upon reading them, what kind-of attitude do you get from them? Is that an attitude that we, as Christians, should have?
If our couple were indeed to "stop" at 2 children, no one would say anything. It would be accepted that they wouldn't have anymore children. However, lets say that they wanted more children and so they added a 3rd child to their family. People would still be happy for them and they would still find room at restaurants to sit down without having to push tables together. Now is the time some people would beginning to ask, "You're done, right?". To which our couple reply's...how?
If our couple has a 4th child, they will get the raised eyebrows and the question "are they all yours?"(If they continue to have children, they will hear this question for the next 20 years!) They will most likely hear the "you are not being responsible" talk from their parents and the "your breeding like rabbits!" comment from their friends. Not always, but these are usually things people in our society say. You know, the same people who stated above that they like/love children, but when someone has many children, that like/love for children seems to be forgotten.
As Christians, we should care what God has to say about things. So what does the Lord say about children? In Psalm 127, it states that " Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. " (I am not trying to promote the "quiver full" mentality with this one. Most people forget my "quiver full" of children is not the same number as yours. The Duggar family obviously has a quiver full of at least 19 children, while a couple I know has a quiver full of 0 children.)
In the Mosaic law, it states that if a pregnant woman is hurt by another person and the baby is born early, but is not harmed, than the woman's husband should be paid a certain amount. But if the baby should die, than the person who first harmed the pregnant woman should be stoned to death. (It tells you a lot about what He think about abortion, doesn't it? But that's another post.).
Again we find in Psalm 128, "Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel." (It was a sign of wealth for a man to have many olive plants and a fruitful vineyard. The Lord is clear here that what a man is blessed with from Him is not material wealth, but a wealth of a heritage with children.)
Most people already know how Jesus felt about children, when He rebuked his disciples for trying to "shoo" the children away form Him. So does our society, with it's "2 children is enough" mentality, really portray a love for children? Some of the most harshest criticisms that large families get, come for the Church itself.
If you thought that a million dollars was a blessing from the Lord, would you say "no thank you" if He came back and offered you another million after already giving you 2 million? I don't know anyone who would do this! Yet this is what people do with children. God created this world just by speaking. He didn't lift a finger, He didn't have to move anything. He just spoke. Don't you think He's also capable of providing for you, in every way (financially, emotionally, mentally, physically), if He chooses to bless you with another child?
Where do you stand? Do you cherish children the way the Lord does? Do you view them as blessings given to you from the Lord? Or do you agree with the prevailing though in our society: that children are necessary for re-population, but nothing more. They are cute in their little Easter dresses and suites, but we must protect our planet and not introduce anymore "carbon footprints" then we have to. As I look at Damaris, I wonder how many children, like her, never get to be because they would have been born past the 2 child mark. How many children in our recent history, never got a chance at life.
It's hard. I takes much sacrifice to be a parent, whether it's a parent to 1 or 19. And it takes faith to trust the only One who really has the control anyway. And yes, this is faith that at 2 am in the morning, when you've been up for too long with a sick child, you question. But when you look into one of these precious, beautiful faces (faces, that if left to popular thinking, would never be here, smiling at you), God's way makes sense.
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