Windows Of Time

Windows of time are not chapters in our lives.

Windows of time are brief intervals of opportunity during which an activity or rest can take place.

Tomorrow Brooke goes to the orthodontist.  In a 7 year period, we are in a 6 month window of time where neither of my girls have braces. 

Basketball ended just two weeks ago, tonight was Brooke’s last dodgeball game.  I thought I had a one week window without sports since last summer.

Mariah called, she made the varsity track team without trying out!  The varsity coach claimed her, gave her two weeks off from basketball, she starts track now. I’m excited for her.  No break.

When is my next window without all these activities?  Summer?  Camp brochures came today, Brooke picked her camp.  Mariah is picking her summer basketball camps. 

When am I going to squeeze in drivers education course for Mariah?  Only a small window of time left where I don’t have to worry yet that my daughter is behind the wheel subject to other drivers.

Now, a cherished window of time where I know where my girls are on Friday and Saturday nights, home safe in bed.

Classes on hold, a window of time I gave myself from taking part-time courses after Brooke’s dad died.

The last two months, a window of time where life was hard, but is healing so quickly.  A period of putting faith into practice through trials that wanted to consume me.

I’m thankful for these windows of time.  They are not chapters, rather short timeframes of rest for the next chapter in life.

Letting Go

She watched the glass
     now empty
  badly in need of a refill
          her arms hung heavily by her sides
              too weary from her constant revisiting
                   of a task she longed for him to do
              he too waited
                   accustomed to her frequent attendance
                        he saw no need ot break a familiar pattern
              though he knew it was his duty
                    to refresh her
                        to fill her
   she had done so well
       refreshing herself  
              he now had no memory
                     of how to go about the task
and he wondered why her eyes were so angry
           though her speech did not give her away
 the distance he felt from her body
    when he reached to caress her
       left unanswered questions in his mind
          that he dared not utter
             afraid of the repsonsibility
                her answer might require on his part
      and so he waited
            waited for her to refill the glass
but instead she just stood there
                  with her arms dangling like leaden appendages
           looking up toward the heavens
 lips moving silently
      pouring out her soul
tears streaming down
                 until they overflowed the brim of the glass
and as she reached for it
          the unthinkable occurred
                  the glass tipped over
                        spilling its contents
         rolling
            rolling
               rolling out of her reach
         landing at his feet
 and she still standing
         not moving except
                     to see if her prayers had been answered
         watched him bend to pick it up
staring
    as if at a foreign object
            finally a glint of recognition lighting his face
 he revisited his initial call
                                filling it with himself
                                  he gave her to drink
                                     and she partook of his offering gratefully
                                still looking toward heaven
                          and then into his eyes
                            now filling with understanding
                                as the anger left hers
           making room for softness in her gaze
                  as her arms regained their strength
                         no longer exhausted from carrying
                              both their loads
           with one arm unfettered
                   she was now free
                            to embrace him
                truly her glass was full.
                                                           - Michelle McKinney Hammond

Sushi With Mariah

What a day ... !
 
Brooke gets asked for a sleepover at her friends house and I find myself childless.  Sushi time!  But, everyone is busy on last minute notice.  Note to self:  Must find more sushi friends!

Mariah calls, this is her dad's weekend, but we need to find a dress for the Winter Formal next weekend.  Mariah likes sushi! 

Mariah and I enjoy the evening with dinner at Wasabi, we grab Starbuck's for a needed energy boost to shop, and a shopping trip that landed a dress she fell in love with at first stop.  Success!

Mariah is funny! We have great conversations, she loves to share, we both cherish our time together. 

She is chatting away and informing me of her upcoming activities and summer plans.  Hmmmm ... sounds expen$ive.  I say, "Mariah, I will have plant another money tree out back just for you."  She replies, "Mom, I will be just as generous with my kids!" 

An appropriate reply to a comment I often make, "You both better be as generous to my grand babies as I have been to you!"  That's all I ask.  =)

Shay Brooke

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. today.  Normal for me.

Not normal for Brooke, who doesn't wake up well at 6:40 a.m. for school.  At 6:00 a.m. today she is awake in bed, playing her DSi XL!

A wide-awake Brooke, leaps from bed and tells me to sit down and relax.

She hands me a menu.

Welcome to Shay Brooke.  What she means is Chez Brooke.  I'm smiling.

Coffee is not on the menu, fortunately Shay Brooke can accommodate!  Not being a breakfast person, I decide to go with a single chocolate chip waffle, light on the butter and syrup.

Minutes later, a tray appears.  A perfectly microwaved chocolate chip waffle, butter melted, light on the syrup. 

The breakfast tray presentation has the final touch of a vase of water with a stem of flowers that were pulled out of an already floral bouquet. 

Brooke has always been sensitive to all the right special touches.  Flowers and candles for ambiance.  She will make an amazing special events coordinator some day, even if it is for my grand babies. 

Shay Brooke's was delicious!

Fireworks

Brooke and I are in the car heading to Best Buy when she says, "Mom, I feel like fireworks are going off inside me!"

The fireworks is her excitement and anticipation of heading to buy a very special gift.

Brooke loves her DS; however, it is old, scratched up, and has needed replaced.

When Brooke's dad died, Social Security said that everyone has a one-time pay out of $255 upon their death ... who knew?

I told Brooke, when that money arrives she can buy the DSi XL (in burgundy) that she has asked for for 1 1/2 years now!

Tonight we were heading to pick up her new DSi XL when the fireworks filled her!  She was so excited, she kept bellowing opera notes once the cherished prize was in her hands. 

I also earned a reward tonight according to Brooke.  She thought carefully after stating I deserved a reward and my reward is ... she will not ask to sleep in my bed for 1 month!  ha!

A special gift from her daddy = fireworks in her heart.

Darts At A Target

A snowstorm blows through Ohio making this mornings commute last 1 ½ hours.

That is 1 ½ hours to reflect. 

What a week!  It has been a week of extreme frustration and supernatural blessings. The kind of supernatural blessings where I can only *smile* because God is totally behind the scenes working on my behalf! 

I’m reflecting and my heart is happy.

I think about some of the things that have spewed during my many moments of frustrations.  Sometimes I just have a trash mouth!  Sometimes I’m really bad at being bright enough to make the perfect witty comment that hits the exact target that I am aiming for … to hurt.

Honestly, I hate that about myself.  I resent my loss of control.  

Today Mary Southerland writes about throwing darts.  Oh, the timing …

A young lady named Sally relates an experience she had in a Seminary class taught by Dr. Smith, a teacher who was well known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked into the classroom and instantly knew they were going to have a lot of fun. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table was a large stack of darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of a person they disliked or someone who had made them angry and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's girlfriend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother who was a constant irritation. Sally drew a picture of a former friend who had betrayed her. As Sally remembered the pain and hurt of that broken friendship, she put a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. When her picture was completed, Sally sat back and gazed at her work, pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Laughter and shouts of success rang out as each dart found its target. Some of the students threw the darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally was looking forward to her turn but was disappointed when Dr. Smith called time and asked the students to return to their seats.

As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A complete hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covering His face.

Dr. Smith quietly said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40, KJV). No other words were necessary. The tear-filled eyes of each student focused only on the picture of Christ. 

Words are like seeds. What we plant will grow. The words we speak are powerful and will either build up or destroy. Words can diffuse anger and turn tragedy into triumph. The right word, spoken at the right time and in the right way can bring peace in the midst of confusion. God gives us "spiritual radar" so we can assess a situation and speak the right word for that circumstance, but how often do we speak before we check the radar?

· A judge utters a few words and a guilty man is taken to death row.

· A friend speaks a word of encouragement and a desperate heart finds hope.

· A mother lashes out with angry words and the light in her child's eyes is gone.

· A wife offers a word of forgiveness and a marriage is saved.

· A gossip makes a phone call and a reputation is destroyed.

· A teenager says "no" and changes the course of her life.

It has been estimated that most people speak enough words in one week to fill a large book of 500 pages which, in the average lifetime, would amount to somewhere around 3000 volumes or 1,500,000 pages. What kind of book are you writing today with your words? 

Ouch!  I'm still working on me.

Heaven Is Cheering You On

I love to jump on my elliptical Sunday mornings and listen to Joel Osteen at 7:30 a.m.

Joel is a voice of encouragement and inspiration.  Sometimes I need that over just being fed.  He spoke about all of heaven pulling for you and loved ones who are already there cheering you on!  It was a GREAT message! I hadn’t heard it put this way before.

What an amazing God we have to use ordinary people in the Bible, who experienced everything we have thousands of years ago, yet to reach us in modern day times as an example of His love and power!

I was excited to see that Joel posted a portion of his message on his website.  I want to share it with you …

You Have the Home Field Advantage – Joel Osteen

When I was growing up, I was very involved in sports. My parents traveled a lot and couldn't attend all of my ball games. Of course, I always played hard, but when I knew my parents were in the stands, when I knew they were watching, it gave me an extra boost. Even though it was a "mental thing," it affected my physical performance. The same thing happens when a team has the home field advantage. They perform better because they know the crowd has confidence in them.

If you follow football, you know that the team who had the worst record to ever make it to the playoffs had the home field advantage. The crowd was going wild, and do you know they beat the world champions? It's amazing what you can accomplish when you know people are cheering you on and believing the best for you!

In the book of Hebrews, it talks about the great heroes of faith and the amazing things they accomplished for the kingdom—Moses, Abraham, David, Sarah, Ruth, Esther and many others. People who were known and people who were unknown. In chapter 11, it tells how they dared to believe, and God did incredible things through them. Then it goes on to say in chapter 12, "Since we are surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, let us run our race." Notice this passage refers to our life as a race. And it paints the picture of this big stadium up in heaven. Now these saints of old, known as the great cloud of witnesses, are up in the stands looking down on us and cheering us on!

Understand today that you are not running your race alone; you've got all of heaven pulling for you. From the great saints of old to your loved ones that have gone to be with the Lord, the stands are filled with those who are pulling for you!

They're watching you and saying, "Keep going. Press through. Keep running. Don't give up. You may get tired, but get your second wind. We did it, and you can do it, too!"

Realize that you have home field advantage! In this stadium in the grandstands of heaven, you don't have any critics, nobody's throwing popcorn at you, and nobody's heckling you. No, these people are for you 100 percent! They think you're amazing. They know you've got what it takes. They're standing up right now cheering you on!

Imagine Moses calling your name and saying, "Go, go, go. You can accomplish your dreams." David is saying, "The giants may be big, but don't get discouraged. I defeated them; you can, too." Esther is calling your name saying, "You may be afraid, but do it anyway. You've been raised up for such a time as this." Gideon is saying, "You may feel weak and intimidated, but be strong and of good courage. The Lord your God is with you." All of the saints of old are pulling for you. By faith, you need to hear the roar of the crowd. By faith, you need to see them standing up, cheering you on! They're saying, "We did it without automobiles, without air-conditioning, without beautiful buildings, without technology, without computers or telephones. Think about what you can do. You can go further. You can accomplish your dreams. You can take new ground for the kingdom."

Let that truth sink down deep into your heart. Get a picture of the great cloud of witnesses cheering you on. When you realize that all of heaven is pulling for you, it does something on the inside. When you know this great cloud of witnesses is calling your name and cheering you on, it'll give you that boost to go further and accomplish more. Receive that strength and encouragement today and let it propel you forward into the victorious destiny He has prepared for you!