Lean On Me

Forgive me for bragging, but I DO have the best girlfriends in the world. Most of them live out here in Gig Harbor, and have been “doing life” with me for the past 13+ years. Several are back in the Mid-west and have re-entered my life or stayed connected thanks to modern technology like Facebook.

Do you have friends that you can call anytime? Do you have friends that will pray for you, encourage you, hold you accountable and cry with you?

I've been thinking about the song lyrics from Lean On Me “Lean on me, when you’re not strong, I’ll be your friend, and I’ll help you carry on…" That song was very popular back in the mid-70’s when I attended Jr. High cheerleading camp at Valparaiso. Who knew I’d still be singing it in my head 30 years later?

Sometimes I'm the leaner, and sometimes it's my turn to give my shoulder to others (even if they are still in weak shape from my shoulder surgery).

The other day I was peeking at the newest kitties and puppies at our local pet store. I require an occasional “furry fix” since my fat cat is back in Illinois and my puppy dog died. All the kittens were asleep together in their litter box. (Kind of gross, yet sweet…) They were waiting to be rescued, adopted and brought to a loving home, but in the meantime they were snuggled up; comforting each other.

Real friends are like that. Sisters (and brothers) in Christ can help us through a rough patch and make things WAY more tolerable.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 NKJV

Lessons Learned: Lean on each other; that’s why Christ puts us in community, and when life makes us feel sort of “boxed in”, draw near (to God and each other).

In His Grip, Jane

Very Convinced

I thought it was remarkable. I was pulling in the driveway of my studio and a black cat ran by. Not just any black cat, but my former cat Zoe who was adopted when we moved to Illinois, proceeded to run away, presumed dead and then found and adopted again. (You can get the full story if you go back and re-read my November 11, 2010 post; The Stealth Bomber is Alive!)

I was VERY convinced that somehow Zoe missed me so much she ran away from Grandma Joan and made her way several miles to the house behind my studio apartment. She looked just like Zoe and acted like Zoe. Well…she wasn’t. The homeowner behind me has a “tuxedo” cat (four white paws and a white tummy) but her name is Oreo and she wasn’t my former cat.

Wednesday I was VERY convinced that the double root canal I was suffering through due to my fall was the worst thing I’d ever experienced and I might not survive. I had my I-Pod turned on loud, my eyes tightly shut and they had the “gas” turned on; however I was still very upset and even hyper-ventilated. I did live through the procedure, but spent the rest of the day in pain and exhausted. The dental specialist said I was so tense I weakened my immune system, thus allowing a sinus head cold to zap me in addition to my muscles and teeth aching.

I must have sounded pathetic on the phone that afternoon because my hubby booked me a massage for the next day. My teeth and nerve fractures are still healing and I’m still depending on my friend Advil.

It’s been one of those weeks. It started with my dress catching on fire (be careful of candles) and continued with several emotional events. And yet…I am VERY CONVINCED that even though I felt totally out of control this week, God was IN control.

“My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Lessons Learned: Just because it looks or acts authentic, it might not be, don’t feed a cat on your neighbor’s deck and plan to take it home until you’ve made sure it’s not the next door neighbor’s pet, and do NOT do deep “yoga” breathing during a dental procedure when you’re breathing in nitrous gas (my nose is still sore). The only thing I really AM convinced in, is that GOD sent Jesus for me (and you!) and He is in control.

In His Grip, Jane

The week is almost over and my hubby is here this weekend! Things are looking up.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, September 20, 2011

I haven’t participated in a month! I’m back in the Harbor and school has begun. I’ve been blogging lately but I went through a spell of not writing much as I grieved for my puppy dog that had to be put to sleep, and then I had to say goodbye to my home and husband in Illinois to allow my daughter to finish school out here…

Outside my window... It was beautiful! The sun was shining and it reached 74. Now it’s dark and bedtime.

I am thinking... about my former kitty cat, Zoe who ran away when we moved and then was adopted. I thought I saw her today; it turns out my neighbor has a kitty that looks almost identical.

I am thankful for... getting to see my daughter Allie last week. She’s in Costa Rica student teaching, but flew back to her college for a two week class and I drove over to see her in Spokane.

From the kitchen...last night I made a yummy pasta dish with zucchini, tomatoes and melted mozzarella cheese. I got invited over to a friend's house tonight and had salmon, fresh green beans, veggies,pound cake and white wine. Yum! I had brussel sprouts for the first time in my life!

I am wearing...an orange v-neck t-shirt with my distressed blue jean cut off shorts; both from American Eagle.

I am creating...I’ve picked up that red scarf I was knitting last spring. I will finish it!!

I am going…to get a root canal in the morning. I am bummed that I tripped and fell a week ago and this is the result.

I am reading...Verla Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven. I haven’t read much in the last few days because I got on a role of watching Mad Men on Netflix. It’s a good book though!

I am hoping... the procedure at the endodontic specialist doesn’t hurt tomorrow. Yep, I’m scared. I also hope insurance covers most of it!!

I am hearing... the T.V. and earlier my landlord on his riding mower.

Around the house… I’m in a studio apartment out here in Washington instead of my house in Illinois. I cleaned the bathroom this morning and plan to dust & vacuum before my husband visits this weekend.

One of my favorite things…is being on the Whitworth University campus on a beautiful fall day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: hearing John Lennox from Oxford speak in the morning followed by my root canal, couples bible study, Mops (I’m a mentor), a Blessings Unlimited party, and then my man Mike (hubby) comes for the weekend!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

(My girls at the Spokane Airport.)

To join the fun, visit Peggy at: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

In His Grip, Jane

Bleached, Sprinkled and Pressed

My daughter Sarah’s travel mug filled with tea leaked in her backpack on her new white top. After soaking it in bleach and washing it, the stain was removed. I decided to iron it damp since it was all-cotton and that’s when I had my nostalgic moment…

My childhood flashback was my mom at the ironing board, using the Pepsi bottle with the special top; sprinkling the cotton laundry with water and rolling it up in towels until she was ready to iron. I don’t think they’d invented steam & spray irons back in the 1960’s…

I love all things retro. I’m hooked on Mad Men, can’t wait for Pan Am to start, shop vintage stores and collect purses and jewelry from the past. I never used to enjoy a big pile of ironing, but there is something gratifying about taking an item of clothing from rumpled to smooth and crisp.

Bleached. Sprinkled. Pressed.

I feel a bit like a wrinkled blouse and yet despite my sins, I have been made white (thanks to Jesus), sprinkled (it rains/mists here in Washington), and pressed (hard by my circumstances).


"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.” 2 Chronicles 4:8

Lesson Learned: God is my/our ultimate “iron” and it takes time and pressure to remove stains and smooth out the wrinkles. I need to remember this uncomfortable time won't last long, and that just like the Brandon Heath song; He’s not finished with me yet.

In His Grip, Jane

Landing Hard

Apparently my daughter Sarah and I have more in common than sharing a room. We fall down. We land hard. We hurt.

Sarah fainted Saturday night and whacked her head on a tile floor. She was fine but we continue to worry about her tendency to have Vasovagal Syncope (a fancy name for fainting due to being over-heated,dehydrated, or scared).

The next day she spent the afternoon resting on the couch with a headache. I was typing quietly on the other side of our “not so big” studio, when I heard her call me. I jumped up to run over and see what she needed, tripped over a cord, and fell. I literally did a face plant. Klutzy me landed on my hands and knees and teeth. I was thankful I landed on a rug and glad nothing was broken.

"The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." Psalm 145:14

My teeth and wrists hurt but I didn’t think too much of it until two days later when my teeth were still throbbing. After x-rays at my dentist who sent me next door to an Endodontic specialist, I was diagnosed with fractured nerves inside my tooth and gums. He said I’d had “trauma”. I’ll say!

I haven’t had any dental issues since I got my braces off when I was 17! Now I’m looking at a possible root canal. “Oh bother” as Eeyore would exclaim. I’m on heavy doses of Advil and “self-medicating” with some red wine until I go back for a re-check to see if my tooth is dying...

I think back to all the times I’ve fallen; hurdles in 8th grade, landing on my very pregnant tummy forcing Mitch’s c-section, bus stop on gravel, down a flight of stairs while house hunting (on my tailbone!) and now this. This time it hurts a lot and the damage might be permanent.
ing is not.

Lessons Learned: Do not open your mouth to gasp/yell an inappropriate word when you’re falling down because you might hit your teeth, don’t run in a small studio apartment, and perhaps a device should be created for Sarah and I that announces “we’re falling, catch us!"

In His Grip, Jane

Photo source: Palo Alto Dental Care

Changing Plans

I wasn’t expecting to get a phone call from my Costa Rica this morning. I didn’t recognize the number but am so glad I answered anyway! “Mom!! It’s Allie! My plans have changed...” Why was she calling long-distance and wasn’t she supposed to be on a plane?

(We interrupt this student teaching experience to fly back to the Whitworth University campus and take some specific teacher education classes for two weeks. Yep, the extra back-and-forth tickets are on the credit card-ouch!)


Allie is having the time of her life down in Costa Rica. She’s comprehending Spanish,and enjoying new friends, the culture, the food,and the Christian school where she's student teaching. Thanks to Whitworth University "South", my girl is immersed in a whole different part of God’s world.

I was at the Chicago Art Museum when I walked by a wall map and saw on a big-scale how FAR AWAY my daughter is! Central America is quite a long distance from Gig Harbor, Washington! We Skype to stay in touch.

Allie was supposed to be on a plane on her way to Dallas, then Spokane today. Apparently her plane didn’t show up and instead she is being re-routed to Miami. She and her best friend are being put up in a hotel, and then flown to Seattle/Spokane tomorrow. She told me they’re learning to “go with the flow”.

I am not nearly as flexible but I’m getting “stretched”. (Remember, I was the Jr. High cheerleader who couldn’t do the splits.) Thankfully, Allie’s arriving tomorrow around 2:00 p.m. I had made plans to drive across the state tomorrow to spend the afternoon with my girl and have a birthday dinner with her, visit her college brother T.J. and take my youngest on an official campus tour. I'm a planner. The no-show plane almost ruined MY plans, but in reality my schedule has just been altered by two hours.

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Imagine ten years ago when families and friends of the 9/11 victims and first responders heard the news of what those planes had done. Their plans were changed; not just for the week, but for a lifetime... Let's continue to pray for the 9/11 families. "God brings good out of bad circumstances." Romans 8:28

Lessons Learned:“Going with the flow” is a necessary part of the journey and surely Skype was invented to make Mommas happy.

In His Grip, Jane

A Flash of Orange

Two weeks ago I took my first “by myself” train ride to Chicago from my western suburb of Glen Ellyn. I felt quite grown up and cosmopolitan as I disembarked, hailed a cab and met a dear friend for a day of shopping and lunch.

We sniffed our way through the Nordstrom fragrance department, and before lunch at the Grand Luxe Cafe we headed to Forever 21. I wanted to find a surprise for my daughter who is student teaching in Costa Rica. (Shh-don’t tell her.) Little did I know I would create a "color" memory at the huge two-story clothing store.

For my day in the city I had chosen to wear black walking shorts, and a v-neck patterned tunic over a bright orange tank. Full-length mirrors dotted walls throughout the second floor, so rather than wait in the long dressing room line I just tried some tops over what I was wearing. The last top wasn’t flattering, so I hung it back on the hanger and continued wandering around while my friend Karen went to the dressing room.

I walked by a full length mirror and caught a glimpse of my reflection; all I saw was a flash of orange. Where was my top? I no longer had on my patterned tunic, only the tank which was not super flattering on my I hate sit-ups body. Karen walked toward me and immediately she noticed something was amiss (and missing).

I asked the store clerk if he’d seen a top laying around that obviously wasn’t a Forever 21 style. I suppose my dilemma sounded a bit odd but he tried to help. We madly searched the areas we’d been looking at. Did I mention how HUGE the store was? Low and behold it was hiding on a hanger underneath the last top I’d tried on. If I hadn’t found it, I would definitely have been forced to purchase something new to wear in public!

Once I was fully dressed again we started to laugh. Two grown women; bent over and laughing until we cried… There I was thinking I didn’t look half bad on my city outing, only to discover I’d been walking around missing half my outfit! I must have looked ridiculous like the main character in “The Emperor’s New Clothes”! I felt so exposed… I’ve had many times of feeling exposed, but usually hurt feelings or regret is involved instead of lost tops and laughter.

"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." Revelation 16:15

If you ever see me wearing orange and I’m smiling, you’ll know I’m remembering …

Lessons Learned: The wait for a dressing room is worth it, and laughing with a friend is the BEST medicine for stress.

In His Grip, Jane