Taking Back Monday

 

 

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C. S. Lewis

Your thoughts?

 

 

And just for fun...

 

 

Lemonade Side Effects

Fiction Friday

 Five hundred dollars for church camp is quite a sum for a single mom to produce. Karen worked overtime, scrimped and saved, but she could only manage four hundred fifty. The deadline for sign up loomed the next day. The twins’ lemonade stand cost them every penny of their allowance. They wanted nothing more than to go to camp with the other eight-year-old girls in their class.

Officer Ed Clark pulled up and stopped. He fished around in his pocket for change. He downed his drink, never taking his eyes from Karen. She’d gone out with him a few times, and now he looked to be garnering brownie points. He bought another glass.

“You ought to do well today. The 5K run is on the next street. People park on this street and walk over. You’ll make a fortune.” He tipped his hat at Karen and the girls.

Clark was right. Streams of cars found parking places on Karen’s street, and many of the drivers bought lemonade from the girls. They began to think that they might earn their fifty dollars after all.

The sweltering afternoon blazed on as two quart jars filled to the brim with quarters. The traffic slowed and the girls stopped to count their money.

“We did it!” Mandy and Macy squealed and jumped for joy.

“Thank you, Lord.” Karen hugged her two excited daughters and joined in the jumping.

Officer Clark drove up again. He frowned, and sat in his car for a moment before approaching the girls.

“Do you girls have a permit to sell in this neighborhood, or specifically for the 5K event?” He spoke softly and looked miserable.

“What? No, it’s just a lemonade stand.” Karen squinted her eyes in the sun. Surely he must be joking.

“Then I’m afraid I’m going to have to shut you down. The official vendors for the 5K run complained that you cut into their profits and that you probably didn’t have a permit. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t believe it. If you’re not kidding then this is ridiculous. A lemonade stand? Since when?” She pressed her lips together to control any further words. This hurt.

“I’m sorry, Karen, it’s the law. I didn’t know it either. Chief Smith is new and eager to make his mark. He did say that if you give the money back, there won’t be a fine.”

“Girls, go in the house.” Karen waited until the door shut behind them. “How can they give it back? We don’t know most of the people who passed through here today. You know this is their camp money, right?”

“I’m so sorry, Karen. I risked my job arguing with him about it.”

“Here, take it.” Tears streamed down her face as she shoved the two jars at the Officer.

“This is really difficult.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “I can’t take the money. It has to go back to the people who paid you. I realize that is impossible now. I’m afraid the fine is five hundred dollars.” He wrote her a ticket and knew that a chance for any further dates with Karen probably just evaporated.

Stricken, Karen turned away from him. She wiped her tears. How could she tell the girls that there would be no camp? She’d used this whole experience to encourage them in the value of work, and the importance of faith.

“Don’t worry, Mommy, Jesus will come through,” Mandy said, with Macy nodding her head.

Karen’s heavy heart pounded in her chest on the drive to church Sunday morning. Should she go ahead and pay for camp and risk not having money to pay that outrageous fine?

Ed Clark met her at the door. “Listen, I convinced the Chief to wave the fine if you’d give the jars of quarters from the lemonade stand to charity.”

Karen breathed a sigh of relief. She carried her hard earned four hundred fifty dollars in her purse. Maybe the church would take that much and give her a little more time.

The Pastor took the podium.

“First, we’d like to encourage you single moms today, and let you know that your children’s camp fee is already paid.”

The girls gasped and hugged each other. As the offering music began, Karen placed four hundred fifty tear stained dollars in the plate, straight from the heart.

Devo Thursday

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Luke 6:31 NIV

It's called the Golden Rule. So simple and beautiful, but not easy. Remember that old adage "leave a place in better condition than you found it"? Is it taught today?. I witnessed an ADULT help their child make a big mess in a public place this week, and then left without cleaning it up. I decided to give the benefit of the doubt and not say anything unless they started to leave, then I planned to ask the GROWNUP to replace the borrowed things that were scattered all over the floor.  I didn't get the chance.

 A servant hearted person IN CHARGE of the public place of business, who could have easily instructed some other employee to right the mess, got down on her hands and knees and cleaned it up without saying a word. Talk about looking through love colored glasses! Her selfless act humbled me.

Now, we need to clean up after ourselves and not leave work for other people to do. That is 'doing unto others' as well. But to look past the offense and serve in the way my Boss did today is such a great example of the spirit of the verse. Compassion in action!

Any thoughts?

Guest Lisa Guidry

My guest blogger today is Lisa Douglas Guidry, a friend from ETBU days.

Lisa, tell us about yourself. I know you are a Mom, but you are going to school as well. What's that like?

Going to school full time while being a full time mom…hmmmm, it’s hard, but since God opened this door, He had faith in me to be able to walk this journey. Although there are times that I wonder about that wisdom…but I really have loved being in school. I have learned so much – not just about the coursework, but about myself. Best counseling program ever – expensive, but serves a dual purpose…LOL! The course of study I chose is Criminal Justice. Growing up I loved mysteries and crime shows. I loved pretending to be a PI (private investigator), but back then it was not a reality, so I chose another major in college. Years later I found myself a single mom again, and was thinking about going back to school – but what would I do? God opened the door through some friends from my former college days. So I thought, online college would work, and the school I loved was now offering online classes. And guess what the ONLY degree plan they offered that was online? Criminal Justice! WOW!!! A first love. I would get my degree, help be a voice for women who were in or just coming out abusive situations. I was so excited.

It has been difficult, but no more so than any other time in my life. I homeschool and do classes online, so I am busy. When I was married I homeschooled all my children (they are ages 10-31 this year), ran a household of 10 people, and helped to run my husband’s business, plus I volunteered at my church and helped with the state homeschool organization for the yearly conference. Just regular mom stuff. 

How has God surprised you lately?

Hmmmm, part of me thinks that I should not be surprised at all the wonderful things that my heavenly Father has done for me over a lifetime, most especially during the last 2 plus years. He saved my life by exposing evil against me in my own home and got me out under the protection of angels in Blue. He has provided an amazing attorney who loves my family (his wife used to babysit me when I was a baby) and is a Godly man. He has surrounded me with friends and family who love me and pray for me daily. They send me encouragement. They have blessed us with food, clothes, and shelter when needed. God has opened doors and granted great favor in many areas of our lives. I have scholarships and grants to attend school. I have Godly professors who encourage me and pray for me weekly. My class mates pray for me.

God surprises me in all the little ways that He touches my heart with love for me – the singing of birds outside my window each morning, the sunrises that wake me each morning, the sounds of my children laughing, the hugs and encouraging words of friends. His promises to me that He continually keeps beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I used to pray that my husband would love me the way God wanted a husband to love a wife… well God is showing me daily what that love looks like and I am very spoiled by that Love.

What's your best advice for moms?

 My best advice for moms? Remember that your children are a gift from God. Their hearts are like moldable clay – and a mother’s words and actions are what do the molding. Parents get really wrapped up in achievements and test scores, but those should be secondary. As mom’s we should be reflecting the heart of the Father towards our children. How does show His love to us? We should be parenting our children the way God parents us. With love, grace and mercy as we learn who we are and who we were created to be. Celebrate your child and the place he or she has in the family as a whole. As we (moms …and dads) work on our relationship with God (vertical), we should be working on the relationship with our children in the same ways (horizontal). Spend time with them talking, walking, sharing, encouraging, correcting in love, building up, and so on. Our children are only under our care for a short time of their whole life…if there is no relationship built during that time, it will be very difficult to build that relationship when they are no longer living under the same roof. God will fill in the gaps of our parenting when our children become adults, so academics should not be our primary focus. He is the greatest teacher of all. But the relationship that you build and cultivate with that child – it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to set that foundation.

 There is a great poem that I love from the 1940s that sums up most of what I have said. 

 Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Take a look at Lisa's Blog:  From the Rocking Chair

Contest Tuesday

Caption Contest

Post your caption about the photo in the comments section below and I'll pick the one that tickles my funny bone or warms my heart. The winner really will get a prize! Even if you don't win, your caption may end up in one of my articles, poems, or books.

Peggy Corbett wins for last week. Peggy, email me your address and I'll send you your gift! jodybooks@faithwriters.net. 

Where's that Wild West Show they told me about?

 

 Peggy Corbett

ACK Already...

Taking Back Monday...

Mornin':) I love my job and I'm so grateful for it. But sometimes there are things that I just don't want to do. You know, that dreaded thing you hate that hangs over your head? So I'm writing this while I have a full cart of books to go put up. I stalled by googling "when you really don't want to do something." Got a lot of pscho mumbo jumbo.

So here's my take:

• Take a deep breath

• Think about how you'll feel when it's over.

• Go do it.

• Done.

Gonna go see if that works, be right back.....

Oh, hi! Ahh, feels great.

Yep, done. Here's another point.

• The time I spent thinking about it was worse than actually doing the thing.

How do you deal with those things you don't like to do?

Catch Phrase Check Up

Devo Thursday

My dad used to say, "She's a poet and didn't know it; look at those feet - they're Longfellows." He was such a nut. But I do tend to think poetically. I always seem to have a phrase to motivate me with whatever is going on in my life.  

Right now it is:

No complaining, only planning

No frustration, reputation

Sweet and silent (not defiant)

Keep your eyes upon the goal.

As I prayed about the situation that inspired this poem, the Father reminded me to make sure my little anthems line up with His Word. So I made a commitment to find scriptures to back up my little admonishments. I'm one to memorize scripture anyway, so I'm grateful that my little poems already seem to be birthed from the Word.

It's a good thing to take stock of our belief system. Why do I believe what I do? 

The Word of God is the only plumb line. In this world where Christianity is accosted on every front, we should remember:

 "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."1 Peter 3:15 NIV

What catch phrases/scriptures motivate you?

Guest Alisa Darnaby

 Today our guest blogger is Alisa Darnaby

I did something really head banging this weekend. I was taking staples, nails, etc off the outside walls, getting ready to have my house painted. I do not have any TV except the local station (yep, can only get 1 station) so I decided to remove the old TV cable that was on the house when I bought it.

Guess what???? Totally forgot the cable also went to my recently installed internet. The poor girl at the internet office was trying not to laugh while I explained why I needed new cable at my house.  She suggested I put the cable I had removed on my porch and the serviceman would be glad to hook it back up.  Her snickering increased when I told her I cut up the cable so it would fit in the trash can.  We both started laughing.

How many times have we disconnected the cable and yanked out the staples?  You see, God is like that cable.  He is the source of our power and the staples are the sisters in Christ He has put in our lives to support us through prayer, words of encouragement and often, a good dose of accountability.  

While I can laugh about temporarily disconnecting my internet service, it is no laughing matter to disconnect myself from God.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.   ~Zephaniah 3:17~ 

A little about Alisa:    "It is funny, but never think much about it.  I am single, been involved in facilitating women's home /study groups for about 8 years.  I have one son, Waylon, who is 33 and a divorced dad of one.  Devon (aka Roo) is  2 1/2 yrs old.   My mom moved in with me about 4 years ago and my son moved in with me last year.  I love to read and make rag quilts.  I would fish more if the lake rose and God blessed me with a boat. Every Wednesday, I coordinate a group that prays, via email, for our lost loved ones.

Take a look at  Alisa's Blog. 

Caption Contest

Caption Contest

Post your caption about the photo in the comments section below and I'll pick the one that tickles my funny bone or warms my heart. The winner really will get a prize! Even if you don't win, your caption may end up in one of my articles, poems, or books.








Last week's winner: Bellacocina ~  Email me your address if you don't live in my town so I can mail you your prize (jodybooks@faithwriters.net)

"I can too blow up your head with my mind."

Taking Back Monday

Be blessed by this quote from a friend. Diana Dawson Hall is an exhorter. Her thoughts are  the perfect way to take back Monday!

"I awakened this day: in a comfy bed, with cool air, got out of bed unassisted, lit the room with a flick of a switch, walked to a warm shower with all conveniences, drank fresh water, used clean towels, dressed in nicely ironed clothing, reached for a Bible close at hand, and freely read it all with a beautiful roof over my head and four walls of protection. I am blessed and have so much to be thankful for."

When Monday winds down, come post the best part of your day:0)

Fiction Friday

           “That’ll be $2.99, Ma’am.” The pony tailed, gum smacking cashier held out her hand.
           “But the sale price is $1.49. I only have $2.00.” I showed her the sale paper.
           “That’s last week’s paper, Ma’am.” She pushed her open hand further toward me.
           Down to my last two dollars and now this. Would it be too much to ask to pick up a pair of hose so I wouldn’t look so bedraggled for my job interview?
           “I’m sorry, I’ll put them back.” Of course there would be fifty gazillion people in line behind me, and now all of them knowing that I couldn’t afford a stinking pair of pantyhose.
           “Uh, I don’t think so. You opened them.” She raised her hand toward the customer service desk, pushed the gum under her tongue and called, “Manager needed at register number three.”
           Wasn’t she last year’s Hog Calling Queen? They heard her in the next block.
           “Yes, I’m sorry. I had to make sure the waist band wouldn’t cut off my circulation. I thought they were $1.49. I had every intention of buying them.”
           The manager fumed over like he’d been jerked away from receiving the Nobel Prize for Grocery Store Management.

           “What is it, Tiffany?” She pointed at me. Grand Poobah Manager slid his glasses down to the bottom of his nose and glared me into the dust.
           “This lady opened a package of hose, and she doesn’t have the money to pay for them.” She crossed her arms and cocked her head, lips creeping into a triumph smirk.
           The sound of the coke machine hum and the crying baby behind me screeched to a halt. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, and then made a gross clucking noise as I took a breath to speak.
           “I’m so sorry. I thought they were on sale. I need them for a job interview. Could you just take down my name and let me come back with the rest of the money?” Maybe I could search the couch cushions again for loose change. I’ll take that hole in the ground to swallow me up now, if you please.
           “I’ll get your name alright, Lady. Follow me to my office.” He huffed and he puffed and he blew back toward his office without so much as a please or thank you.
           “Wait here,” he snarled, motioning me to a dingy chair.
           What? Did he need to round up reinforcements? Maybe I should run for it and try to make the interview in my disheveled state. The good impression I planned to make evaporated into unemployment land. I plopped down in the chair and closed my eyes. What could they possibly to do me?
           The clock ticked away ten minutes. I opened my eyes and looked around. The manager’s messy bulletin board drooped with old flyers and notes stuck all over it like a ghetto mosaic. My eyes focused on a tear off pad of coupons that read 50% OFF ANY ONE ITEM.

           Ah ha. Tearing a coupon off the pad, I stood to my full height, ready to storm the Citadel and claim my rightful place in the world of the gainfully employed.
           The loudspeaker summoned the manager to isle ten, so I took my package of hose, my $2.00 and my trusty half-off coupon and left the office. I got back in line to check out, but not Tiffany’s line.
           Beep. The clerk scanned my hose. Beep, he scanned the coupon. “That’ll be $1.50 please.” He smiled as he held out his hand.
           I made sure he gave me my receipt in case the manager appeared and accused me of theft. My hand grasped the exit door.
           “Wait, Ma’am!”
           Busted.
           “You forgot your change.”
           I hugged him and then raced three blocks to the lawyer’s office where I was to interview for receptionist. Ducking into the lobby restroom, I changed into my new hose.
           The attorney arrived fifteen minutes later and apologized. “There was some kind of ridiculous delay at the grocery store. Some poor girl didn’t have enough for a pair of hose. They made a huge, outrageous deal out of it.” A friendly wink set me at ease.
           I got the job and a small advance. My new boss gave me a firm handshake. I admired her business suit, and the beautiful, long run in her hose.

Devo Thursday

 

For who has despised the day of small things? Zacchariah 4:10


"Como esta?" Simon asks as he enters the library where I work. "Muy bien, gracias, y tu?" I answer. He has been helping me learn Spanish and I have mastered the greetings. Recently he discovered that I have five daughters and asked, through my Spanish speaking co-worker, how he could apply to meet them. I grinned and ventured into new vocabulary. "Mis hijas son cansada." Simon and my coworker looked puzzled and then burst into laughter. "You have just told him that your daughters are tired. You meant to say "casada married". Ah, so much to learn. But as I thought about it during the day it occurred to me that sometimes there is just one little thing standing between marriage and tired.

Zerubbabel had been given the power to rebuild the temple. What a mountainous and exhausting task! But the Lord said in Zacchariah 4:6, "Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit." He declared in that chapter that the mountain would become a plain before Zerubbabel. He had managed to lay the foundation but now needed to do the many little things that would add up to such a large accomplishment. Those little things must not be "despised".

I am awed to think that the same principle applies to our marriages, or any relationship. We must not despise the little things. The little day to day thoughtful surprises; gentle words, phone calls, notes, gifts, positive encouragement help to keep things new. There's that little 'n' that is so important to keep 'tired' out of 'marriage'. Through the Holy Spirit we are given power to build and rebuild our marriage and keep it new, or 'nuevo' as Simon would say.

What ways do you do little things for the ones you love?

Guest Post

I found this on my daughter's blog Jessica Day Ontiveros and couldn't resist placing it here today.

 To Skate or Not to Skate

Every other Monday night was suspenseful in our house growing up.  The happiness of 6 young children hinged on a handful of poor and unsuspecting piano and voice students. The weight of our worlds on their poor little shoulders. It was simple, if their parent’s paid for their lessons today we got to go to the skating rink. If they didn’t, we didn’t.

We would wait “patiently” as the student would try relentlessly to pound out a beginner’s version of Jingle Bells. My Mom and her ever patient and gentle instructions somehow making sense of it all to the kid, who really just wanted to play drums in the school band but had to get piano out of the way first.
One of us would watch the clock and someone else would watch the window for the parent coming to retrieve their child. Sometimes if they came early and sat in their car for a while we would  try to pass the time by “entertaining” the bored adult. I remember one specific instance when we adorned one of us (probably my poor little brother to five sisters) with a pot on the head and a wooden spoon. The little performer marched like a soldier from one side of the yard to the other, rhythmically beating the pot with the spoon. I can only imagine the concern for our mental state these poor people must have had.

So finally the time would come when the last student would leave. One look at my Mom’s face and we would know whether they had paid her or not.

My Dad worked very hard at two jobs, he was a music minister and (because we all know how much they get paid) also an auto parts delivery truck driver. My Mom had upwards of 30 piano and voice students, this was what funded our skating.

Oh the torment we must’ve put my poor Mother through. Six little faces staring at her as if our lives depended on being able to skate. Especially if she hadn’t been paid. I also can’t imagine homeschooling six kids or teaching 30 music students a week only to have the profits go to a few rolls around the track and a game of Dead Bug. Which was really difficult in heavy roller skates, by the way.
Sometimes we didn’t get to go. Which was of course devastating. For all of 5 minutes. We’d silently curse the parent for forgetting her check book and maybe shed a few tears. But then Mom would come up with some fun thing to do that completely erased it from our minds. We might read The Chronicles of Narnia by candlelight and drink hot tea, or watch Anne of Green Gables all curled up in their huge water bed. Mom always has a way of turning everything into something more enjoyable.

I should probably add (in case it sounds like we were deprived of entertainment) that we did many other fun things and were involved in other activities throughout the week. On Monday nights however, we only cared about skating.

So then there were the glorious times when we did get to go. You may wonder why it was every other Monday night. This was simply because every other Monday night at our local skating rink was Homeschool Night, of course. A whole night dedicated to families like us! Although I don’t remember there being many other people there.
The icing on the cake was that Homeschool Night doubled as Christian Music Night. Because apparently every homeschooling family is also a christian family? Anyway, we were definitely that, so Homeschool/Christian Music Night was our night.

There were some rare occasions that we went on a non-homeschool night, nights where they played “secular” music (gasp!). Honestly, I don’t remember any songs that played on Homeschool/Christian Music night, I do however remember vividly the other nights. Nights where I’d skate around to Tim McGraw’s ‘I like it I love it’ feeling oddly naughty while pretending not to enjoy it or even know the words. I also remember the sheer shock and horror that melted into silent delight when I’d catch one of my parents singing along to “the devil’s music”.  I always knew they were the “normal” ones after all.

Looking back I’m so grateful for those evenings when we waited for the answer to the question “To skate, or not to skate”. They taught me that you can’t always get exactly what you want when you want it. That you have to work for everything that’s anything and that sometimes no matter how hard you work, other people may end up holding the key to your happiness… and disappoint you. In those instances we can choose to be devastated or find a different happiness, like reading Chronicles of Narnia by candlelight. Thanks Mom