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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Napping Couches

We woke up in our “new” home & town today. We spent Saturday in downtown Chicago, before heading to our new suburb of Glen Ellyn Sunday. After a HOT time at Taste of Chicago, and several hours watching USA lose in the World Cup, we went to Room & Board to look at couches. Sunday we stopped off at another store to look at couches. Hopefully we’ll order one soon. We are showing up with hardly any furniture and if you continue reading you’ll discover why…

How long do most families keep their furniture? Our family room couch and love-seat are going on twelve years and they are definitely past their prime. In 1997 we had moved to the Northwest and into a brand new house. The blue and white striped couch and love-seat we brought with us from the mid-west weren’t exactly “white” anymore. There was a logical explanation but new friends probably wouldn’t be able to relate. In Illinois we had lived in a darling cape cod with a blacktop driveway. Oh I remember how hot that blacktop felt on a steamy summer day if I ran down to get the mail without my flip flops. I also remember the year my husband saved us money by smoothing on fresh black asphalt himself rather than hiring professionals. It was REALLY black! My four young children often ran around barefooted and then would come bounding in the house and go directly to the striped couches. Let’s just say the black jumped onto the fabric almost as quickly as the spot moved around in “The Cat and the Hat” story.

After contemplating buying slipcovers to make our furniture look newer, we decided to head to a Labor Day sale at a furniture store that practically requires roller skates to cover the distance of the square footage. This store made furniture shopping an event! You could even buy popcorn and snacks. Low and behold we found a comfy couch and love-seat in a super suede/almost leather –look that had plump down filling and the price was right!

Now jump ahead several years. Our extremely overweight orange tabby routinely climbed up to the top of said furniture to nap and ripped the seams quite a few times. I had a professional upholsterer mend it the first time, and then I attempted to sew the tears. (Tigger has also has sharpened his nails on the front a bit…*#%@!) Our lab-mix dog used to climb up at night to sleep leaving behind her hairy evidence until she was caught and punished enough that she stopped using them as her personal beds. I got pretty good at vacuuming and fabreezing and fluffing them before company came so I wasn’t too embarrassed. Our kid’s friends often spent the night on the couches and were quite satisfied with their place of rest.

Last year was going to be the summer we replaced them. Our oldest son was graduating from college and moving into a little apartment for his year in graduate school. He was going to get our old stuff and we were moving on to a fabulous sectional or swanky leather sofa. Well, my dream was squashed when;
A. Money was tight (could this be due to two in private college and me not teaching?)
B. We discovered his former roomies had about eight couches that were being left behind at the rental his sister moved into right next door to his apartment. Another set of couches was definitely not needed.

Well, it’s moving week and our oldest son is engaged. We are giving him the couches as a “wedding gift”. I will miss their comfort, but will get to enjoy them when I visit in Spokane AND I get new furniture! As I watched the couches leave on a truck to be stored until after the honeymoon, I had a flashback. It was Christmas time and on a quiet, rainy afternoon I came downstairs from wrapping to find my husband asleep on the love-seat and my 6’3’’ teenage son asleep on the couch. They looked so peaceful and comfortable. Our trusty couches were very “nap friendly”. As we try to replace these couches with a stylish leather couch for our great room, and a comfy sectional for our walk-out basement I am reminded of other furniture stories…

Over two thousand years ago another Mom was probably looking at her son resting in a less than hoped-for piece of furniture. The manger that Mary laid Jesus in after his birth was a bit old and smelly, but was warm and soft and our savior didn’t complain. As Mary thought about her past, present and future, I am sure she decided that it is best to live in the present. She was grateful her baby had finally arrived and was peacefully sleeping. She couldn’t control her surroundings, but she could accept them with gratefulness and thanksgiving and hope. Did Mary have any idea that the cradle and the cross would be the most amazing wood the world would ever know? That just seeing a manger would instantly make us remember that God came to earth as a tiny baby to live among us and save us?

Furniture can be beautiful even if it isn’t lovely to look at.

Blessings, Jane

Friday, June 25, 2010

Windows and Walls

The moving van pulled away from my house two nights ago full of all our worldly possessions. It left a day earlier than expected, so I was caught by surprise. I spent all day cleaning and scrubbing as the very hard-working loading guys finished clearing each room,then I signed 29 pages of paperwork. Suddenly I was left standing alone in the house that has been my home for almost 14 years. The only things left were my suitcases for the trip to Chicago and a few items on the kitchen counter. I was reminded of an old Dan Fogelberg song called Windows and Walls about a woman who lives alone with her memories. “Now all that she’s left are these memories and windows and walls, windows and walls”…

My mind was suddenly filled with visual “pictures” of our family celebrating birthdays and Christmas, all the action that took place in the family room, and all the meals I prepared in the kitchen. I used to complain that we needed to upgrade some faucets and that our laundry room was SO small, but in my heart I know that this house has served our family well. I felt a bit like Mary in Luke 2:19 “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

As I walked through each room saying goodbye I probably sounded like the child in Goodnight Moon. Tears were flowing and I was grateful to have a friend out in the driveway to hug and remind me that it’s just a house… I know that the past six homes I’ve lived in with Mike and the new one we're headed to are all just temporary and that my permanent address is in Heaven- but fourteen years is a long time, and our four children did most of their growing up in 4510 77th Avenue Court...

Now it’s time for me to look ahead. I need to focus on the new adventure before us and rest in the assurance that God has a good plan for our family. I have a big bridge to cross (literally) that will take us away from our little harbor town toward the airport. I hope I can keep my eyes on the future and know that all my memories and friends are tucked in my heart. Whoever first said the idiom, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it” must have moved away from Gig Harbor!
Here I go!...

In His Grip,
Jane

Monday, June 21, 2010

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm showing my age but I loved the song from my childhood, "Leaving on a Jet Plane". My first plane ride was when I was 17 and my parents let me go on a school trip to Hawaii. Today's trip is a bit more complicated; my husband is boarding a plane with two suitcases and our dog and cat. We've never done a big move with pets. We've learned it's not easy or cheap! Getting ready for this trip has included:
1. finding a new home for our little black cat since you can only bring two pets on a plane, and she wouldn't adjust to the cold, snowy climate
2. vet trips to get special health certificates which included a flea scare- turns out the cat rolled in the dirt out back (see digging up the septic system story...)
3. buying special pads & bowls for their crates, and printing off new address tags
4. finding a great boarding place on the other end so they can live there until our moving van shows up
5. trying to keep Tigger the cat from bolting out the door
6. giving the dog sedation meds so in hopes that she'll sleep through the trauma of the plane ride

I know I should gain courage by thinking of the hassles Noah faced; he had to build the ark, face ridicule, then convince all of God's animals to board two by two! I've seen the way the baggage handlers treat suitcases.  I certainly hope they are gentler with lived animals! Mike just called- the crates had to be searched (really, we aren't smuggling drugs sir) and the flight has been delayed an hour.  Oh, the adventure continues. Surely this temporary hassle will be worth it once we're all settled into our new home... In the meantime, I'll try to do what the bumper sticker says; "wag more, bark less"!
Blessings, Jane

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Norm!


If you used to watch the show Cheers, you remember how everyone would shout Norm’s name when he entered Sam’s bar. Feeling known and welcomed is really important to most people-especially me.
After 13 years in my town, I have made hundreds of connections. Between four kids, our church, sport teams, 3+ schools and being a teacher, I usually always run into people I know.  It is so comforting to have people recognize me. As a child I was “known” because I was one of the Story girls and my mom was a respected teacher in town.
 I think about starting over in a new town next week and it scares me.  I know eventually I’ll make new friends, but it will be harder since I’ll just have one in high school and Mike will be at his new office all day.
My father-in-law reminded me you never “lose” friends, you just make more. The Girl Scout song, “Make New Friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold” is running through my head…
Am I alone in wanting to be recognized? I’m terrible with names but I always remember faces.  Someday when I’m standing before Jesus, I want Him to recognize my face AND know my name.  I pray it is already written in His book because I love and know Him. In Daniel 12:1 it says: “But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered.”  
For now, I’ll just need to give this friend-making, name & face thing some time- or maybe I can convince people that name tags are a cool accessory…

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Bees and Degrees

On the day before our son’s graduation party, I was scurrying around, cooking taco meat, baking, etc. Our oldest happened to be looking out our bonus room window when he asked, “did you know we have a large beehive on the hemlock tree out back?” Why hadn’t any of us noticed it? When had the bees built it? Right off our deck about 15 feet up was a 12” x 8” hive. Bees were buzzing around frantically. Maybe they had heard that I love honey with my green tea?

Can you imagine if we were all eating outside at our party and everyone started getting attacked by bees? NOT fun. I immediately put in an “emergency” call to pest control, and within two hours a young man in his full-protection suit came and saved the day (for a price).
As I watched Mr. Pest Control spraying & whacking the hive as angry bees swarmed him, I’m sure he was grateful he had on his suit and he wasn’t getting stung. I was reminded how important it is to have the right protection. In Ephesians 6:11 it says: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.”

Thank goodness our oldest just earned his master’s degree because apparently the rest of the family wasn’t smart enough to pay attention to the sneaky action taking place right outside our back door… I wouldn’t allow my family to fight the bees without the proper equipment, so why would I send them out in the world without praying and feeling confident that they were “covered” with God’s armor?... Remember- higher education can be very helpful, and ALWAYS look up!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Our third child graduated from high school yesterday! We enjoyed a yummy family brunch around our kitchen table as we went over the plans for the day. Our son got dressed in an “old” t-shirt which we promptly encouraged him to cover with an “old” collared shirt. Next he had on his “new” black pants and his big brother’s “borrowed” dress shoes. Last, he went to put on his “blue” cap and gown. As he took his cap out of the bag, we discovered the tassel was missing.
I looked all over my closet where I had opened his graduation kit a few weeks ago so I could hang up the gown to get the wrinkles out. (Not sure why I bothered, it still needed to be ironed this morning…) Alas, no tassel could be found. Being desperate (and quick on my feet) I grabbed his big sister’s tassel off her senior picture. She’s still in Europe and I thought it was cool that she could be a part of her brother’s graduation by supplying her tassel.
All was well until I watched the class of 2010 throw their hats up in the air in celebration. My child came out of the Tacoma Dome with a tassel that says 2010; someone else is going home with a 2007 tassel. I wonder when they first noticed the year and what they thought… I hope my daughter will think its funny and not care that her memento is gone for good.
Note to self when my #4 child graduates in two years: check the graduation package carefully (we’re moving to a new state with green as the school color) and DON’T LEAVE THE TICKETS AT HOME ON THE BULLETIN BOARD!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The LONG Goodbye

The sun was shining this morning so I decided to take my puppy dog and I on a walk around the neighborhood. (It’s been a LONG time since I’ve taken a walk due to not feeling well, but my health has improved and my body & mind knew it was time to put on my Pumas and plug in my I-Pod.) Sadie and I had been enjoying ourselves for about 15 minutes when I bumped into two dear friends out for their walk.God knew I needed encouraging words from friends, and their offer to hold up our family in prayer.

Before I knew it, tears were streaming and I was filling them in on all the things weighing heavy on my heart. Besides saying goodbye to this town, our church and all my treasured friends,it hit Mike and I that we only have two more weeks with our son before it will never be the same. He's staying here to work this summer, then starting college here in Washington in the fall. Except for seeing him for his brother’s wedding this summer, we’ll only be together on holidays from here on out.We've sent two others off to college but this just feels different since he'll be coming "home" to a place he's never even seen and he won't know anyone in town except us. As I was going through boxes of treasures and toys in the attic, I was flooded with memories of our little boy who is now 6’3” and living on bagel bites and Taco Bell.

Everywhere I go I see people I feel the need to say goodbye to, and places I might never go to again. We’ve known about this impending move since January and it’s just been one long goodbye. When Jesus told the fisherman to “Come follow me” they at once dropped their nets. When Sarah was being obedient to her husband Abraham who had great faith in God I bet she didn’t have six months to clear out her tent and say her goodbyes. The people who say moving is as stressful as a death in the family are right… I’m grieving this goodbye but look expectantly to the future and claim the promise in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not too harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

If you see me around town in the next two weeks with tears in my eyes, now you’ll know why…

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Birthday +Beer & Hope=Opportunity

I really admire the way Jesus shook up the establishment with his ministry and didn’t “do things” the way the Pharisees were used to. This weekend I stumbled onto a similar scenario. My guy and I were on our last Seattle getaway. Mike surprised me with a night downtown at the fancy Fairmont complete with dinner out, the theater and walking around Pike Place Market in the sunshine. We were walking everywhere on Friday evening so we were enjoying cocktails and not worried about the drinking & driving rule. Right before show time, we ended up at a bar across from our theater and ordered a yummy flight of beer. Yep, we were both a bit “toasted” when we overheard the young gal next to us mention it was her 25th birthday. I tend to talk to anybody (my husband & kids say everyone is a potential friend to me and I can’t even leave the grocery without making a new friend…) that said, I quickly got into a conversation with the birthday girl. It amazed me how quickly our conversation went from casual to serious.
Something in her tone told me she was discouraged. I did my best to give her encouragement and hope. Perhaps the beer in me made me bolder, but I’d like to think it was the Holy Spirit talking… Pretty soon she opened up about her fears of never meeting the right guy, her parents getting divorced, never attending church, and that she felt that there was something missing in her life. I began talking to her about how God had saved our marriage and that without Him, life really isn’t complete. (The Donut Repairman song, “Life without Jesus, is like a donut, with a hole in the middle of your heart” was sort of playing in my head.) I asked if she’d consider going to church and I suggested the only one I knew about in Seattle. Was it a coincidence that she only lived two blocks from it? I don’t think so. We didn’t get to talk that long, and I never got her first name, but she continues to be on my mind. I’m so thankful I was bold enough to talk to her about eternal matters and I pray she’ll find her way into church. Once in the door, I have no doubt that God will take care of the rest… Who knew that I’d witness in a bar???

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Be Careful What You Cover Up

The past two weekends, my husband has spent hours ripping apart our back deck to uncover the septic system lids. Why did he build it OVER the openings? Good question! Five years ago I don’t think he was paying attention when we had it pumped out (OK, we’ve also learned you shouldn’t really wait 5 years between “cleanings”…) Anyway, the deck looked really pretty, the grass was green and it totally hid what was lurking underneath. Now however, our yard is torn up, the deck is torn up and we’re moving in three weeks. It’s been a rather smelly day around here and I doubt the new owners want to repeat our mistake, so Mike needs to put it back in a way that won’t hide the openings.
I think a lot of us like to cover up what’s lurking underneath. We put on our make-up and our favorite outfit and pretend to the world that all is well. If people could see right into our souls they would know things aren’t always the way they appear… Luckily God is there to help us uncover what we need to, and then He helps clean up the mess and “rebuilds us” so we can go out into His world and bring Him glory.
I’m excited that our new yard in Illinois does NOT have a septic system and that God is continually uncovering layers to help me become authentic. Because of His grace, my sins are forgiven. Now if it would just stop raining, maybe Mike could cover the hole in the backyard. In the meantime, I think I’ll light a candle…

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

24 countdown…

Many people were die-hard fans of the television show 24. I used to watch it until I realized that I really don’t like violence and it had a LOT of violence. Well, I’m in my own “24” countdown right now and my heart is racing… In 24 days our moving van will be loaded and pulling away from the house we've called home for the last 13 years.
Our real-life drama is playing out before my eyes and part of me wants to “change the channel” in hopes it will all go away. A few weeks ago my oldest earned his Master’s degree and is getting married next month, my #3 son graduates from high school, and we have to coordinate getting our daughter home from her school in England. As we head to Illinois, we’re leaving behind our almost college freshman so he can work here this summer, hopefully one cat that won’t adjust well to Chicago winters, lots of friends we love, and hearts full of memories. Our youngest daughter is going with us along with a dog, cat and all our belongings.
It’s sure to be an adventure this summer that could rival any Fox program and I’m claiming Deuteronomy 31:8 that states “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” The clock is ticking… I will try to be fearless like Jack Bauer!

(New at blogging, couldn't get the image of Jack to upload...)