What's UP???????

Snaggle Tooth In Second Grade:

Those top teeth have been loose for a while now, and Megan has just left them alone...until it got to the point that she looked like Nanny McPhee (a movie character that has a big tooth sticking down on her lip). Anyway, she finally pulled that tooth last weekend and of course, the tooth fairy delivered big...inflation sends prices up for her too! She only brought me a quarter, or two...But lucky Megan in the 21st century got a whole $5 bill!!!!!

Girl Scout's Keep us bussssssy!

Then after she lost a tooth, we went to Harvest Days at Camp Coleman with her Girl Scout Troop. It was actually a disappointment from a parent's perspective, but at least Megan had a good time. She rode ponies, a wagon ride, picked out a pumpkin, went to story time, petted a corn snake, roasted S'mores over a campfire and went on a nature hike. The last part of the hike took us to "Fairy Rock" at Camp Coleman, and the girls were very excited to try to find the fairies there, but of course, THEY WERE HIDING!!!!

I LOVE TO BE LOVED!

I feel like I am on a spiritual high! You know that feeling you got when you came home from your weekend retreat, or week long camp when you were a teen? I remember them well-I would come home on FIRE for God, and with a bonding with believers like no other! I LOVE THAT FEELING!
Since I returned from my weekend trip, it has felt like that alot. As stated in my previous post, I participated in a Beth Moore study while on this trip, and I was delivered from something that had plagued me for months. PRAISE JESUS! My poor sick husband had to sit and listen to me ramble on for hours last night as I told him every detail of my trip! (Isn't that just like women? Only interested in the DETAILS?! haha)

But perhaps one of the most special parts of my trip was the moment I returned home to my wonderful family! My family met me in the parking lot of Kmart to pick me up, and I honestly could not unpack the car fast enough....Ryan saw me first and he immediately began screaming "MOMMY MOMMY!" and the best part was, when I opened the van door, and gave him a hug, he grabbed me so hard and squeezed me so big that I really thought he was going to choke me! He had his head layed down on my shoulders, but I could hear him crying as he hugged me and kept calling my name. As I type this now, it actually puts a mental picture in my head of how I ran to God this weekend and cried with relief when I was glad to see Him moving in our lives. I can visually see myself wrapping myself around the throne and being so happy to have a God to love me! Ryan did my heart so much joy by reacting to me that way! And my Megan was right there with him, (with no tears, because she's all mature now, lol), and we were all hugging and loving on each other. It was a wonderful moment....5 days away from your babies will do that to ya. I am loved. And better yet, I am appreciated too! Ha! Jonathan was sick the entire time I was gone, and he was never so glad to see me and "TAG" me for parental duty so he could relax! aaah, a Mommy's work is never done....but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
The split second I got home, it was back to basics as usual. I got in at 5pm and Megan had a Investiture ceremony in her Brownie troop at 6pm, so it was off to being a taxi again. I love my role as Megan and Ryan's mommy, and Jonathan's wife, and I love my role as teacher, friend, sister, daughter, and most importantly CHRIST FOLLOWER! Only a God like Him would get me through this weekend by revealing to me my wrongs, still love me the same despite of them, and absolutely bring me to a place where I could freely give it away in return for a healed heart! I'm free. I'm free! I'M FREE!
I'm excited! I'm thrilled!
I'm singing and dancing His praises to all!


I'm also a little sleep deprived...there wasn't a night we didn't go to bed before 2 or 3am!!!!! I love my sisters in Christ! We had the best time together!

Free...and Loving Well!

I'm in Pensacola at the Teacher Clinic that my school goes to every year. We came down on Friday and began a Bible Study called "Loving Well" by Beth Moore. I have never done a study by Beth Moore, and I am quickly becoming a huge fan. The first session on Friday night left me in tears. There was so much hurt, that mainly dealt with the situation I described in the post before and though I thought that my blogging had helped me eradicate it from my system, I was so wrong. I was still holding on to it. I had missed out on one of the most important parts of this journey, and therefore I was still harboring my anger. But after the first session, God revealed my anger, and hurt to me in a different manner. He made me realize that it was MY PROBLEM not the offenders issue to work through! WOW! I hated it. I argued with God. I was angry again because I knew God was right, however, I still didn't want to deal with it. I shared my conviction and hurt with some of the ladies on the trip with me, and when they supported me and offered me prayer for restoration, I actually resisted it! I didn't want it! I WANTED to be mad! I wanted to wallow in my little pit of self absorbed hurt. But praise be to God that it worked. Praise be to God for the fact that I am blessed to have such lovely, Godly women in my life that will speak His truth and do it lovingly when I am in the midst of a pity party.
That night, I gained insight. I learned a little bit more about my "foe" and realized that what had happened to me, was more about a coping skill of my former friend...the "leave them before they hurt or leave you" thinking. I learned about past hurts, and losses of my friend. And for the first time in months, I began to see her as a human again. I began to feel compassion for her. My heart broke for her heartache.
And then, God spoke it to me....PRAY FOR HER.
That's what had been missing all along. I had not prayed for my friend...and that is exactly what I am called to do as a believer in Christ! Matthew 5:44 says "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." So, with that conviction, it was time for ME to do some business with the Lord. I had to stop and admit all of my feelings about this person and ask my God to heal my heart and my hatred. I had to take it all to Christ and literally lay it down. I prayed and told God everything that I wanted to say to my friend....everything I felt, I said it to God as if I were speaking to her...and when I got it out, and layed it down only THEN was I free enough to pray for her. Only then, did my compassion and love for her win out over the hurt. Only then was I able to release it all. I had been repeatedly denying my forgiveness to be given to my foe, and at that point, I was allowing my heart to be raped over and over again by the hatred I was choosing to harbor. But not anymore. I am free. I am free of the anger. I layed it all down to God, I prayed for my foe, and I cannot tell you the weight that was lifted off of my heart! I'm not sure that I understood that there was a weight because of my denials.
As Beth Moore pointed out to me in this Bible study, "When we ask God to give us insight into people we could have a compassion and a love for them we didn't think was possible!"
Absolutely! Truth!
Restoration of people is always the will of God.
Sometimes reconciliation is not.
I may never be reconciled to my friend...but she is no longer my foe, and if I see her, it will all be alright again. Because I'm restored with the perfect love of God.