A Minor and a Mat

Sarah was SO excited that we bought her a plane ticket to go join her two brothers and sister in Washington State for Thanksgiving. I drove her to Mike’s office after school on Monday and he took her to the airport. This is her second time flying alone but I felt pretty secure knowing she had one plane switch in Phoenix, and then her sister would pick her up in Spokane.

The best laid plans…we discovered her plane was delayed in Chicago almost an hour and a half which meant she would miss her connecting flight. By the time we discovered there weren’t any more flights headed to Spokane Monday night (not to mention a blizzard happening in Spokane) she was already in the air and on her way to Arizona.

Imagine the panic we felt when we realized she’d be in a city by herself. We spoke with ticket agents and they assured us they’d meet her at the gate and get her safely to a hotel, then shuttle her back to the terminal in the morning for the next flight out. I thought it might be a fun adventure for her to take a hot shower, curl up on a big bed in a hotel robe and watch a movie. One little glitch…no one seemed to be listening when we kept saying she was only 17. Minors can’t go to a hotel. Instead she was taken to a room in the terminal somewhere, given a mat, pillow, blanket and an agent to watch over her.

She handled herself like a “trooper” and after not much sleep, no shower and way too much time spent sitting and waiting (at gates and on planes) she finally arrived safely at her destination. Once surrounded by her big brothers and sister she jumped right into the joy of her visit. She might argue with the saying “life is the journey, not the destination”…

I believe that despite the inconvenience of spending the night at the airport (and the fear her Daddy and I felt) that God had heard my prayer for protection. The plane in Chicago had some mechanical difficulty and it was discovered before it left the runway. The blizzard in Spokane would have made landing late at night very difficult. So… this trip might not have been smooth, but it was safe.

Now all I have to try not to worry about is my children driving through the mountain pass in snow and ice to their former hometown which has a power-outage. Piece of cake! Or should I say pie?...

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

“For I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return…” 2Timothy 1:12

I Must Be Getting Older

OK, it’s time I accept I’m getting older.
I did turn 51 in August...

Here is my list of ten reasons why I think I’m growing up:

10.I totally didn’t hear what the woman’s name was as she introduced herself
at church.
9. I’ve started putting blueberries on my cereal.
8. I wake up at least twice every night.
7. Most of the women in my newcomer’s book club have babies.
6. In my old teaching boxes I found “dittos”.
5. The stylist got a bit scissor-happy with my hair and I’m only a LITTLE bit
sad.
4. My neck scares me in the mirror.
3. I’m old enough to be the mom of most professional athletes and hot actors.
2. I look down at my hands and they look suspiciously like my mother’s
1. I need my readers on TOP of my contacts.

They say with age comes wisdom, so I’m hoping that’s true. At least I can rest in the knowledge that as time passes and I grow older, God will be with me through it all!

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

They Stole our Tuition!

They look cute and innocent, but they are thieves… As they perch atop the bookshelf they are thinking we humans are fools spending money on dolls, clothes, accessories and furniture that could have been put into savings for college tuition!

Years ago when my four children were young I provided some in-home daycare after school for a little girl who was about nine. She brought her American Girl catalog to show me and I gasped at the prices. I thought I would NEVER be able to provide something like that for my two daughters. Money was always tight, some weeks I wasn’t sure how I would buy diapers!

Jump ahead several years and my husband had served his time in contract marketing and was promoted to district manager. Suddenly our finances had become less stressful. We were able to tithe while having enough left over to live in a nice home AND buy nice toys for Christmas.

I guess the fact that I grew up with just two dolls, Velvet (whose hair grew) and Tubsy (the baby doll) made me want to live vicariously through my daughters. They each started out with one American Girl doll, but soon we acquired more. We got to visit the American Girl Place in both Chicago and New York on trips. It is amazing how much they charge for one outfit or little accessory pack but it was so fun on Christmas morning to see the pretty little boxes and the joy on my daughter’s faces.

As I organized all the doll clothes in a huge Rubbermaid tub and had Sarah dress them in their Christmas finery, I realized how carried away we had gotten. All that money spent for a small amount of time in their lives. Someday I hope I have granddaughters so they can enjoy the wonderful collection!

As my husband writes the big fat tuition checks for our middle kids who are attending an expensive, but fabulous private university (http://www.whitworth.edu/) I bet he’d like to mail them one of our dolls with her wardrobe. I wonder what they’d think.

So, all you mommies, be careful. Do not forget that although your girls will love their American Girls now, they’ll also want to attend college someday.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19,20

Garbage Day

Today is Monday. Even if I didn’t have a calendar, I’d know due to the sounds of the recycling and garbage trucks braking at each driveway on my street.

What if every day was trash day? Imagine trash and recycling containers at the end of every driveway, every day. Not so pretty. I would really not enjoy hearing the sound of the trucks rumbling down the street every day. Why do the brakes squeak so loudly? My dog Sadie is really afraid of the noise and size of the trucks.

I am thankful for the trash collectors. They do a necessary and rather unpleasant job in all kinds of weather, and sometimes even on holidays.
As I was listening to the sounds of the garbage trucks this week I thought about sin. God allows us to dump our “trash” anytime we want. He collects it and disposes of it and makes us “clean”. I am in awe of God’s patience. Although He is Holy, He never tires of us confessing, asking for forgiveness and being made clean.

I wish I only needed to ask for forgiveness about once a week but it’s normally quite a few times each day. ” You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Psalm 86:5

The Stealth Bomber is Alive!

My daughter and I were in Victoria Secret today taking advantage of the “buy 7 panties for $25” when my cell phone rang. It was our vet back in Washington saying that a woman had been taking care of a little black homeless kitty. My heart started to pound as she explained that the microchip had identified the cat as Zoe. If you read my post several months ago entitled “Another One Bites the Dust”, you’ll remember we thought the cat we had given some friends had met her demise when she ran away…

It turns out that my former kitty Zoe is alive and well. She’s been out and about in the Kopachuck area searching for food since June. My little “warrior princess” was a remarkable hunter of mice, moles, etc. so she probably was on the cat version of the Atkins protein diet. Apparently a kind grandma named Joan found Zoe eating some dog food she had put out in her yard to lure raccoons away from her deck. After Zoe began sticking around she brought her inside and finally decided to take her to a vet (that happened to be MY former vet) and see if she had an identification chip.

All this time I’ve been worrying and thinking Zoe had probably died. Today I discover she’s being adopted into a loving home and even fed canned food! The new owner mentioned that Zoe preferred canned to kibble. I find this amusing since she was living on rodents and dog food, and my husband hated the smell of canned food so she didn’t get it from us very often.

Oh, to be an orphan (or a homeless run-away in Zoe’s case) who is suddenly adopted and treated like a queen. I’m studying Esther right now so I’m thinking about her lifestyle change and how God orchestrated the timing of Esther‘s life so she could save her people. “And who know but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

Now I can sleep soundly knowing my little stealth bomber cat who could jump up a tree in a single bound and keep our yard critter-free is now eating fancy food and sitting on a sweet grandma’s lap.I should never question God's provision for myself or my pets!"Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." Matthew 6:32

Lesson Learned: God knows all my needs and my pet's needs too!