Old-Fashioned Pure Religion

Here it is...the Good Lord willing, another Multitude Monday.

No need to look far, as I am surrounded by great gifts and an abundance of blessings with no apparent end in sight.

#106) This week officially begins an event called Loveloud09. My family and I were blessed to take part in this local community activity last year. I say 'officially' because the message of Loveloud '08 continued long after the 3 day event ended last October.

For my family, Loveloud has become a favorite new word in our vocabulary. We just love to Love Loud!

Take a look, here's why

LOVELOUD 2009 from Dallas White on Vimeo.

This year (due to plans made before LoveLoud 09 was scheduled), we discovered we would not be able to take part in the official event.

All who know me will attest to how sad this has made me.

Despite the fact that it took me a solid week to recover last year, I could hardly wait to go at it again in 2009. Glutten for pain I am!

Want to hear something really neat?

This would be #107)

Some of my precious family in the faith have let me know they will be Lovin a little Louder for me...in my absence this year. I know these folks well and they will do a far better job than I ever have at being the hands and feet of Jesus this week to those need.

They will indeed do it BIG and Loud!

So for all my FBCW peeps, thank you for setting such an amazing example. With whole hearted love, through what you DO and not by what you say alone.

"Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea what they look like. " James 1: 22-24

I love you guys! You will be in my prayers this entire week. I'm looking forward to hearing how God blesses as you Love Loud this October weekend!

Soooo this cool Monday in Georgia, I find myself gushing with gratitude for gifts more abundant than this wretched gal would ever deserve.



#108) Cold snaps that turn a Hotlanta fall into something more like my hometown back in Missouri.

#109) Sunday's at church with my family and friends. I missed being there yesterday...savored the message online...even still...not the same.

Makes me all the more grateful for the privilege.

and blessing of...

#110 ) Old-Fashioned Pure Religion

Would that each week began so well!

New Year

111. Back pack: check.

112. Snack Pack with water: check

113. Bag of treasured stone: check

114. Pocket Dictionary: check

115. Snap shot marking the first day of school...priceless!!

On Teeth Pulling and Visits from the Tooth Fairy

My baby grand pulled her first tooth last night. Normally one might say ‘lost’ her first tooth, but in our case that would be inaccurate. Miss Kyra lost her first tooth when she was barely one year old.

Our first grandchild walked early, learned to run shortly thereafter and did her best to keep her us on our toes. Keep in mind her Pawpaw and I had not chased toddlers for nearly 3 decades. We were grossly out of step, often hustling to keep pace with this spry baby child.

Kyra had always been good about staying with us as we loaded her in and out of high chairs, slings, strollers or car seats. We were grateful she was such a good listener, following our instructions…until the day she didn’t.

One morning Mr. B and I headed out with our baby grand in tow. We sat the girl child down long enough to ready her car seat and had no more turned our heads than the little thing darted off. Away she ran toward the back deck and up the stairs she bound as fast as her little legs would take her.

Pawpaw and I bolted to her rescue only to arrive a step too late. We watched in that slow motion kind of way as she laughed then smiled broadly while tumbling head first down the stairs. Because we were one step behind I caught her mid cartwheel. Unfortunately, by this time, she bumped one step too many with her first flip.

We originally thought she busted her lip because of all the blood. On closer inspection we saw a space in her lower front tooth area and believed she had knocked her tooth to one side. Once we cleaned her mouth and got a good look we realized Kyra was missing a chomper.


With a bit of looking we discovered the entire baby tooth (root and all) had popped out in one piece during the fall. There was no other injury to her, not even a busted lip, just her very long baby tooth laying on the step. I‘ve always believed it was that open smile as she fell which spared her more harm and allowed that ‘little bite’ to jump out, damaging nothing else. A very odd accident.

Having heard marvelous things pediatric dentist could do with lost teeth; we put the tooth in a glass of milk and called her dentist. Much to our disappointment the dentist told us not to bother, as it would be far too traumatic to put the tooth back in with no guarantee of it surviving.

The Pawpaw man and I were guilt stricken. How did we allow one of our baby grands to break?

Kyra has been oblivious to the loss. Her playmates assume she is ahead of them on teeth pulling and visits from the tooth fairy.

When asked she will happily tell you how she ran off as a baby and lost the tooth when she bounced down some stairs. As for Pawpaw and me? We cringe at the memory and have never been more delighted recently to see her permanent tooth finally make an appearance. Within days of her new growth an adjacent tooth started loosening and it’s removal has been a work in progress.

Last night Kyra lost her second tooth. As our little gal examined her prize and the gap left in it’s wake, she grabbed her chiclet, snuggled up close, looked me in the eye and ask,

“Will you still love me the same way now that I’m missing a tooth?”

Surprised, I assured her, “Of course I will and I will love you more. Losing teeth are signs your growing older. In your lifetime there has never been a day pass that I have not loved you more - teeth in or out that much will never change.” I was immediately given a wonderful hug and toothy-less smile. I am most blessed!

So on that looong note I continue my list of all that I am grateful for.

105. Teeth (see above)

106. Spending the day fishing with the family, returning home with nothing but wind blown hair and a sore face from an all day smile.
107. Text messages from my children - how many ways can we tell someone we love them?

108. The baby grands on conference calls, my how they are growing up! 109. The prayers of righteous women

110. Songs from my youth that bring me face to face with my Savior

Don’t stop here, run over to Ann’s and discover more writers who contribute to Multitude Monday.

Waking in the Darkness of Early Morning

Thanks to Ann of Holy Experience I'm encouraged to continue listing the many things this Georgia gal is grateful for.

101. The smell...I said smell of freshly laundered bedding, oh what I have been missing all these years!

102. A weekends cool respite in the middle of a Hot-lanta summer

103. The chorus of Cicadas echoing from the creek, their songs reminding me of Joel 2:25 . I am in awe.

104. Waking in the darkness of early morning at the gentle prompting of my Heavenly Father,

for this and so much more, I am grateful.

How about you. what are you grateful for this day?

Crank up the volume and do the Gratitude Dance

What do you know, I have pondered and procrastinated long enough that another anniversary is upon me, a couple actually.

There are some in the blog-o-sphere who mark 100th blog post by listing one hundred somethings. This note marks my 100th post as well as the 4th anniversary of my youngest daughter Laurens homegoing.

4 years ago today was the last time I hugged my girl, said 'goodbye', 'be safe' and 'I love you'. If someone had told me 4 years ago those would be some of the very things I would be most grateful for, well I am guessing I would have argued the point. If you understand nothing else, know this: God heals us-time doesn't. I for one am so glad He did.

“You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”– Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Below is the top 100 things I am most grateful for today. These are not in order or particularly profound, they are just my current 100 pulled from my life long gratitude list. At the end (if you make it that far) please share something you are most grateful for. I am not asking you for 100, but everyone should be able to share at least one thing, right?.

One Hundred Things I am Grateful For Today

1. Saying "I love you" as Lauren left that last evening.
   
2. Being forced by circumstances into confronting my daughter about the state of her relationship with God, a horrid yet wonderful experience.


3. My Heavenly Father's ever present love and comfort whether I always feel it or not I know He is with me.


4. That my God is not finished with me yet - He loves me too much to leave me as I am.


5. My renaissance man husband who's favorite date includes the two of us completing a home project together, all by way of several trips to Loews, Home Depot and a hot dog stand.


6. Gods amazing grace


7. Baby grands: old, new and on the way!


8. Color, and eyes to see it's many hues


9. My family, ALL of them: In laws, Outlaws, nuts and bolts!


10. Hugging my girl the last time I was with her


11. The power of prayer and the warriors who are faithful to pray.


12. Star filled skies


13. Shore lunch


14. Laurens unemployment during those weeks leading up to her death, time and experiences we would have missed were she gainfully employed like the last 8 years of her life.


15. My mother, without whom I would be a much different person.


16. Forgiveness


17. Learning to play golf at 50
    
18. My church family.


19. Extended family and friends that live lives filled with Jesus.


20. Grandparents, aunts and uncles that gave me unconditional love and a glimpse of my Fathers love for me.


21. Bible Study -I just love Bible Study!


22. Music. All kinds of music.


23. Lessons learned on the field trips of my life.


24. Pretend picnics with the grands


25. Real picnics with the grands


26. My returned sense of smell and the scent of those I love. - who knew?


27. My husband singing any time any where - the best!!!


28. My children by birth and marriage - a most blessed woman am I


29. The tunes my grandmother whistled


30. The sound of my son singing and playing guitar


31. Family Holidays and Reunions
    
32. Technology that connects and reunites almost anywhere, I just love it - well except for the parts where it breaks down or gobbles up these communications!


33. The way God brings things around full circle until we 'get it' and can use what we've learned to help someone else.


34. The delight catching fireflies brings


35. The sound of children's laughter - Can there be too much of such a good thing?
    
36. Wiffle ball games in the backyard


37. The Word and the many love letters my Heavenly Father has written me.


38. Air conditioning on these Hotlanta days and toasty fires when it cools down.


39. Memory and memorization! My brain has been an especially big mess these last 4 years, but alas, it's all seems to be coming back to me now.


40. The guilty pleasure of a good book and a hot cup of coffee


41. Saying bedtime prayers with the grands


42. Libraries - the sanctuary of my youth - back when it was Encyclopedia Britannica instead of Internet search engines!


43. All the good a little fleece can do


44. Photographs, without which I would be relying on memory alone (see #39)


45. This country where I can live, pray, worship and blog freely.


46. The men and women who serve, have been maimed and died to protect such freedom


47. Reverend Frank Rodgers and some of the most valuable things he brought into my life


48. Revelations and simple truths revealed through a child


49. Harmony- singing and living it
    
50. Tears


51. Joy in my sorrow


52. Angels seen and unseen


53. Many amazing and gifted teachers throughout the years


54. The wonders and glories of nature that call out to God with every sunrise and thunderstorm.


55. Our home sweet home


56. Waking to a chorus of birds singing out our window


57. The endless opportunities to bring help to someone in need


58. Bible Gateway Online


59. Answered prayer


60. Having my grand babies tell me a bedtime story


61. Poetry, like music-a gift from God that helps me speak when simple words are not enough
    
62. Road trips


63. Holding hands while we pray


64. Mountains and rolling hills
65. Breakfast of little boxes of cereal with the grands
    
66. My brothers, all six of them


67. Dancing with my sweetie


68. Car seats and child safety laws - how did our kids survive childhood?


69. Saved boxes of notes, cards and letters given to me by my children and grandchildren
    
70. Living in the now even as the past and future try and run me over
    
71. Spell chick check, 'nough said


72. A cool dip in the pool on a hot day


73. Illness- it reminds me to be grateful for my health


74. The plenty we have financially


75. A roof over our heads, food in our belly and clothes on our back


76. Snowfall: any time, any where


77. Playing games with my baby grands


78. Cozy, soft beds with freshly laundered sheets
    
79. Walks on the beach - the sand between my toes


80. Spring in full bloom


81. Trips to amusement parks and water parks with the grands


82. Watching hummingbirds fight over the feeder


83. Laughing with friends until my stomach hurts and my face aches
    
84. Holding the hand of those dearest to me


85. Blooming Red Bud trees in Spring


86. Laugh lines


87. Peace in a storm


88. Hot showers on cold mornings
    
89. The rippling sound from the creek after it rains


90. Mulligan's


91. The Siesta's, you girls are the real deal


92. My baby grands singing and praising God in the back seat


93. A drawer full of warm socks for my forever cold feet


94. Carrying sleeping children to bed


95. The warmth of the sun on a chilly day


96. My sweetie reading to me - especially at bedtime
    
97. Smiles on the grands faces after an evening of swimming in the 'hot pool' followed by chocolate cake - 'This was the best day of my entire life' as one put it.
    
98. Praying myself to sleep


99. For the most dear friends a gal could have. These folks make me laugh, cry and praise God all in the same moment. They are there for me on all occasions: listening, sharing and praying. Whether they have walked in my shoes are not, makes no difference - God only knows how grateful I am for you all.
100. 
     And lastly, in honor of these anniversaries please watch this video, crank up the volume and where ever you are...Do the Gratitude Dance!!
     
     
     
     
     

Care to share something you are grateful for?

From Analog to High Def

These first few months the new year have brought many changes to our little home in Georgia.

For starters, we have involuntarily overhauled our Internet and email services. Such fun.

Please note the intended sarcasms in that last statement. As my grandma would say, 'I would just about take a beatin' than phone a call center for technical support, how about you?

With our communication crisis, I was drafted back into service as the family techno geek. Understand, it is not like I'm super cyber-savvy or anything - far from it. I'm just the designated point person who makes calls to various virtual nations when trouble shooting issues arise in our household.

My hubby tries to convince me that this is one of my talents as he emphasizes his trust in my keen ability to understand instruction via the phone or Internet no matter the country or continent of origin I may be reaching out to.

My response to that?

Hogwash!

After more than a months worth of calls, repair men in and out of the house and our email accounts being sucked into the great unknown (maybe where odd socks go to die???), we appear to have workable virtual communication.

We shall see.

Now while our virtual reality has been given a clean bill of health, the same has not been true of the family.

For the first time ever our baby grand was prescribed an antibiotic.

Ever!

This child has been blessed with incredible health for the past 6 years, having at most the occasional cough, cold or runny nose.

The first part of 2009 has been a polar opposite, with the child attending a bit more than week of classes in the month of February alone. The most distinguishing highlight of that month was an unplanned trip to the Pediatrician to be diagnosed with Strep Throat during Winter Break.

Like any good child our kiddo regularly invited us to the germ fest. Woo Hoo! Party on!

I must confess, we are all just sick of being sick, can you relate?

We are also very aware of how much we have to be grateful for.

Little man K began the year entertaining us (and himself) with various antics and an assortment of funny faces including him crossing his eyes at the strangest of times.

It has since been discovered that the little guy has very poor eye sight and was in need of some fairly strong glasses, the kind we used to call 'Coke bottle' glasses.

As his Mama pointed out, he sort of reminds us of Ralphie Parker from 'A Christmas Story'.

Isn't he darlin?

Seems Mr. K has taken to wearing his glasses like a champ. He ask for them first thing in the morning, only taking them off for naps or bed time.

I can't help but wonder how different the world must appear to our baby boy compared to his first 2 1/2 years.

It's as though the boy has jumped from seeing snowy analog images to vision in deep color and rich hues. Our little man now has the ability to view the High Definition plasma world most of us look out at every day.

How blessed we are!

Kaden's vision is so drastically improved that he does not want to return to his old way of seeing things. His Mama tells us, first thing in the morning the little guy gets grumpy if he does not get his specks right away. He has no desire to go back to his old way of seeing things.

Witnessing our little guy embrace his newly attained vision with such passion gives me a visual reminder to start each morning asking God for eyes to see and ears to hear in the way He would have me see it - listening to His leading and call on my life. There is nothing like allowing myself to yield to my Father that I might get a glimpse of this world through His eyes. Without continually submitting to His will, asking to be equipped with eyes and ears trained on Him, I am destined for disaster aboard the 'Tammy Train' - a ride that always ends with a crash and burn.

I pray to be as grumpy and stubborn as Mr. K in seeking vision through my Fathers eyes every day and in every way.

"You will listen and listen, yet never understand; and you will look and look, yet never perceive. For this people's heart has grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears, understand with their heart,
and be converted—and I would heal them. "

Acts 28:26-27

My Heart Overflows

With all the hurt and suffering in the world lately, it becomes tempting to disengage, listen and read only the good news and basically pretend all is right with the world.


Lately, I find myself more aware than ever of how little control we have over anything, and for that I am so grateful.


History has shown my efforts to fix anything only guarantees failure.

What I try to more often is to press past my discomfort, ponder the hurt, relate as best I can to the need and pour my heart out to God.

These days my heart overflows with gratefulness for all the ways God has grants His abundant grace and mercy. He loves and cares for us despite the fact we neither deserve or have the ability to earn either. His response to our prayers are often so different than we might chose, but ultimately they are for our good and His glory, and this fills me with much gratitude.

and it was very good!

A few weeks back I was given a vicious bug from several preschoolers in the Sunday School class I teach. I pretty much know the exact moments they shared their precious gifts as more than one repeatedly coughed directly on my face....we then spent a few minutes learning and executing the proper way to cover and cough into ones elbow.

This lesson was too late for my benefit.


Two days later the yuck had set in. In the four weeks that followed, things went from bad to worse culminating with a diagnosis of pneumonia just days before Thanksgiving.


Those who know me well understand I'm a fairly high energy-on the go caregiver and not one who easily sits back and allow others to pitch in and help out...I'd much rather do it myself.

I can be a real control freak at times.


As Thanksgiving neared, my breathing and energy wained. I was ready to abandon any thoughts of business as usual.

Reluctantly we cut out all the fluff foods, decorations and preparations leaving us with the bare boned holiday essentials. Truth be told, were it not for my determined little family, I would ordered a pizza or two and called it a day.


Instead, a few of my resident angels rolled up their sleeves and saw to it that some semblance of Thanksgiving would grace our table this year.

Paw Paw and Kyra did the grocery shopping which included raw and prepackaged food stuffs.

This was okay with me.

We made a few phone calls and delegated some side dishes.

This was okay with me.

Then there was the pie.

I don't know about the rest of you, but in our house besides the bird, celebration of this holiday must include pumpkin pie.

Now Madame Publix is a mighty fine baker, but let me tell you, she has nothing on Miss K.

At 5 years old, Thanksgiving 2008 marked our baby grands first solo baking experience.

And she did good!

Actually, little Miss did very, very good!

Using her radical reading and math skills, she gathered all the necessary ingredients and proceeded to make pies.

First, Baby Grand measured and mixed the sugar and spices...

lots of spices.

Next, she broke some eggs...

Eggs can be messy!

with only a few pieces of shells

Then little Miss beat the eggs...

After which she added some pumpkin...

and more pumpkin....

Next up adding the wonderful sugar and spice...Yum!

and mix!

Mixing can be hard...Sometimes, this requires two hands

BG added some milk

(one of only 4 things Maw Maw got to do help with) More mixing...

then pour!

It was as easy as pie!

and of course, you've gotta lick the spoon.

Ready for some heat

Into the oven

(another of the things Maw Maw was allowed to do)

While the pies baked,

we set to work tending the turkeys...yes, I said turkeys-plural.

LOT'S of turkeys!

Then

we cleaned up...

made bubble sundaes....

Until the pies were done...

to perfection.

With requisite goodies prepared, we headed off to bed.

Early Thursday morning we wrestled the other bird and had him in the oven all of an hour before a power outage struck our section of town. After an hour and a half, as we readied the grill-planning to smoke our fowl (stuffing and all), the power returned.

By the time our family gathered later in the day, a few more plans had fallen by the wayside,

but nothing we could not do without.

The bare essentials were in tacked.

Football was watched, kiddos played, the grownup caught up trading stories and laughter.

We spent Thursday and few days more

giving thanks for the bounty of that is our lives.

and it was very good!

I hope you and yours were blessed in similar ways during this time of thanks.