Getting Older... Who Me?... Never!

I don't know why, but lately, I have been reminiscing about the... past... okay, childhood. (I suppose it is not helping that as I type this post, my husband is playing old songs by Chicago, Genesis, Rush, etc.) I don't know why I have been thinking about growing up, getting older... maybe it's what you do at age 45...

It's funny, but usually I don't feel old until one of my daughters have a birthday (November and December). Lately, though, I have been reconnecting with friends on facebook from my childhood, from high school, from college and current. It is as if all the chapters in my life are coming together to form a book. Also, when my Mom passed away in August, I remember her now from my childhood rather than just my Mom who lived with us.

Looking back, I can see that the Lord has really blessed me with the people in my life. I have learned from each one... whether it be good or bad, it has been a lesson. Acts 17:26: “And He made from the one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation.” So, it's not coincidental that my family is the family He gave me, or that my friends and acquaintances are more than just faces... there is a purpose for them being in my life and for me being in theirs. I just need to make sure that my heart and my life are right with Him to find out what those purposes are. Everything happens with a purpose...

"This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it." Since I am alive in this day... I have a purpose for this day and I need to seek out His purpose for me in this day... I can choose to waste this day, or I can choose to live this day for Him... and in doing so, I believe, with His help, I can make a difference, whether it be in the little things of this life, or the big things in this life... God can use me for His purposes...

So, I guess... getting older doesn't really matter... it's what I decide to do with the days God gives me... as I get older. I am blessed with family and with friends that help me see the differences we are able to make with Him, either by their examples or by their words in love and in friendship. I am also able to learn through my mistakes... as much as I hate to admit it, they are sometimes the best lessons to learn by.

So for every second, every minute, every hour, etc that I grow older... I hope I learn more about the God who created me, more about my husband and my girls, more about my family and my friends... more about life in general... and more about growing older...

Jobs

I love it when people ask me what my "job" is. "Where do you work?" "What do you do for a living?" Most can't believe that I am still a "Stay-at-Home Mom", as if they don't exist any more. I guess, for the most part, people just can't believe that we can actually afford

for me to stay at home because the crisis our economy is going through. Who knows... depending on how bad it does get... I may have to go back to work, but for now, I am a "stay-at-home Mom".
(Pictured is Kevin volunteering at a nearby elementary school, helping kids make slime. Adalia is one of my little mentees (on the right) and her buddy Catherine.)

No... I don't sit around watching Oprah and eat bon bons... and no, my house is not spotless and the laundry is not finished all of the time... (I laughed so hard at my dear friend Shonni's blog when she asked the question "is anything ever really finished... like laundry", I spit up my coffee I was drinking while reading it!). I tend to volunteer my time... a lot. I volunteer at the schools in my community. Not just my daughters' schools, but all the schools in my community.

One of my favorite volunteer jobs is mentoring. I mentor girls in the elementary school whose Moms have left them. I get really frustrated too. I listen to these little girls as they tell me how much they miss their mom, how no one is there to put them to bed at night, how no one is there to fix them dinner, how no one is there to brush their hair... the list, sadly, goes on. These sweet little lambs feel so rejected, so hurt... confused... There is no one there to tell them that they have a God that loves them, that wants to give them life, that knows their deepest hurt. There is no one there to talk to them about boys, what's it like to grow up, are these feelings that I have normal... My heart goes out to them. With one of my girls... yup they are mine, or at least it feels that way... I have been mentoring her for the past 5 years. Her mother was a big part of her life for her first five years... then she tried to kill the little girl's father with a butcher knife in front of her and her small brother. Of course she went to jail for two years and then she was released. I am willing to bet that her mother was probably not loved by someone as she was growing up either... so the cycle begins... but where does the cycle stop? The little girl is ten years old now and really wants a Mom. If I was able to, I would snatch her and her little brothers and they would come live with us... but I can't do that. It's funny, physically, anyone can be a Mom or a Dad... you don't have to fill out any forms, you don't have to be responsible, you don't have to do the right thing... but in the end... who really gets hurt by it?

I know that our Father puts us on this earth for a reason, and sometimes, man can mess that up. I know that sometimes we have to take the chance on others, so that others can really know who He is. Who says we can't preach the Word of God in a public school, who says I can't be Christ's example in a public school? It's exactly what we are suppose to do. We are suppose to reach out to those who are hurting, draw them in, love them... I want to be an example of my Savior... with His mercy and with His grace, I want to reach out to those who are hurting and I want to love them. If you have a little bit of time on your hands, please consider doing the same. Volunteer your time... take the risk and get involved. So far, no one has complained about what I have been doing... and if someone does... what are they going to do... fire me?

Have a blessed day!

How Can You Not Believe?

It had been almost a year since they diagnosed my Mom with cancer, September 26, 2007. She decided to try the chemo, she was sure she couldn't feel any worse than what she did. Slowly, gradually, she regained her strenghth after a few sessions. The steroids they gave her with the chemo treatments gave her more strenghth. Pretty soon, after visits from all of her children and grandchildren, she was able to work in her gardens again, go shopping (with the help of a motorized stroller), do things around the house, bake, travel back to Indiana for one last visit... and then it came back again...
Beverly left on May 30, 2008 for a visit to Indiana. She stayed with Joe and Linda, visited her cousins, her great Aunt, played card games. Her oldest son, Jeff, and his daughter Kelsey came out for a visit, she saw her nephews, old friends... on Friday, July 11th, she flew back to Houston, went to church on July 13th. Something didn't seem quite right that Monday of July 14th, so Kevin and I took her to the emergency room. I knew it was not going to be good, but I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was. Looking back, I guess I knew that the next time the cancer grew again, it would be worse... but during those times you really don't think, you just live through the storm, roll with waves, and pray. See, this is where you either sink or swim... you either have faith or you don't. Pretty simple when you write about it... but again... living through it is a whole different thing. The Doctors told us that she was too weak for chemo, Mom decided to call in Hospice. We took her home after Hospice dropped off her "new bed" and all of the other accessories of a "peaceful" death. We put a CD player in her room to play her favorite CDs. There was nothing wrong with the CD except it would only play one CD and only five songs off of that CD. It would only play Chris Tomlin... don't know why... it works great now.
The next week was a week of visitors from the church... her girls, Jean, Stell and Cheryl visited, Kim stayed with her in the hospital. Kim, Genesis and Micah already had plane tickets to fly out July 24th. I was never so glad in my life to see my "baby" sister. From the day Mom got home ( July 17th) she was able to do a few things... from having Chinese, to having her favorite grillled steak, with a glass of wine... why not? We took our last trip to Target and Pets Mart (she wanted to get the dogs something). Her health deterioted quickly. By the time Kim got here on the 24th, she was in bed and needed help to the bathroom. My other sister Linda, a RN, was on her way too. On July 28th, I will never forget it... all the other days she would talk and not make much sense. She was so cute, like a little kid, making faces at Kim and I... but on the 28th, she was fine... like nothing was happening. She talked to us, called the kids in to tell them how much she loved them... told us she knew she was dying... told Kevin she was a little scared... he read her words from the Bible, telling her that she would go from this world to stand right before Jesus, he played his guitar for her, we stayed with her and talked. The day after that she started to drift in and out of conscience... Linda got there on a Wednesday and was able to talk to her some... on that Thursday, Kevin, the girls and I took Kim, Micah, and Genesis to SeaWorld to dine with Shamu :) When we got home... we knew it was a matter of time. Linda, Kim, Christie and I stayed up until 4:30am, it was August 1st, we wanted to be there for you know... when she died.
We sat in the room all day... our Pastor came and prayed for Mom and with Mom at about 2pm. Then here is what I remember...
The song "Glorious" started playing on the CD for the 1 millionth time... it was one of the five songs it the player would play...
"We lift our hands in praise to you
We lift our hearts in worship to you oh Lord
We lift our voice to You and sing
Our greatest love will ever be You, Lord"
She opened her eyes and looked at each of us one at a time... she wasn't conscience for the past two day, until now... we knew her time had come... Linda told her that her girls were here and her boys were coming soon... she took her last breath as the three of us were around her, holding her...
Frank and Kevin came in and we started to pray... in the back ground we could hear...

"There is a King that we adore
With humble hearts we bow before You, Lord
There is a place we long to be
Face to face we long to see You, Lord"

"Glorious
Over us
You shall reign
Glorious
Majesty and Power
are Yours alone FOREVER"

Then she passed from this life... into the next... and then she was in HIS presence... and not ours. Our precious Mother... was now with her Savior and suffering no longer... because He who was tempted in ALL things as a man... overcame EVERYTHING.
Hebrews 4: 14-16: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, leet us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 10: 23-25: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised IS faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not farsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as IS the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."
I am so thankful for my husband, for my daughters, for my sisters, my brothers... my family... my Mom...

What a Weekend

Wow... reading in Acts today wasn't just coincidental. It reminds me how much the apostles changed from the men they were in the Gospels to the men they became with the Holy Spirit. They went from falling to sleep while waiting for Christ in the garden, to denying they even knew Christ, to men filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking boldly to people about Christ. Christ told us that a Helper would come and the Holy Spirit was sent. Now, the Spirit dwells in those who believe in Christ and have accepted Him as our Savior. Our God is so GOOD!!
He blesses us with children, and we do our best to raise them in a home with Christ as the Head of the house. We pray with them, talk to them, teach them and discipline them. It's not an easy job, but it is a blessing. Then they become teenagers... Okay, we were all teenagers at one point and we know what they are going through, it's not an easy job either. We pray for them and sometimes with them, we love them, talk to them, teach them and still discipline them. What I am learning is that they begin to find out who they are in Christ, who the Holy Spirit is and how He helps them. I am learning that I can't do that for them... I can help them with their homework, give them rides, still pray with them, still talk with them... but God is causing the growth within them and they either allow it or don't. So, I still pray for them and sometimes with them...
This past weekend the girls went to an "Acquire the Fire" conference. I don't think they knew why they were going, maybe because all of their friends from church were going, they got to stay overnight at a hotel, get away from home... They came home and talked about how they cried, about how they felt the Lord's presence, meeting the Holy Spirit. What a blessing! As a parent I can't even express the feelings inside, how thankful I am to God... because He knew what they needed, He knew how to draw them to Him, He knew/knows their heart... He knows mine and Kevin's desires for them as parents... because He is our Father. Our God is an Awesome God.
So, I will keep praying for them, sometimes praying with them, talk to them, listen to them, drive them everywhere, and discipline them... and I am excited to watch Christ work in their lives. Kevin and I will also be there for them when they need us, whether it is to congratulate them on jobs well done or to catch them and help them up when they fall, it's what parents do. We try to raise them the best way we know how... it's between God and them to cause the growth now... we just sit back and thank Him and praise Him for every moment and every breath. To God always be the Glory!

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
There is no one like our God
- "God of This City" by Chris Tomlin

Reasons to Blog

To Blog or not to Blog, that is the question...

I chose to blog, frankly, because it was easier than mailing Christmas Cards, emailing several people at one time, writing letters (okay, so no one BUT our Grandparents and parents choose this method now), mailing out pictures to family etc., etc., etcetera. I am hoping to update this daily, okay maybe weekly, but I am still going to try :c)

I also liked the idea of being able to post thoughts, or things that you've read, life experiences. I have several other friends who have blogs and I really enjoy reading about what they have learned, how their families are doing and seeing pictures of growing kids! Let's face it, life is short sometimes and we can lose track of dear friends, this can help us keep in touch.

It's not that we want to lose track, it's just that life gets so darn busy at times. When you have children of your own, you get so caught up in their lives, how to raise them, wondering if you are doing everything right, that we lose track of time... not just minutes and hours, but sometimes week, months and years. Pretty soon we lose track of one year, then five, then ten. People come in and out of our lives like chapters in a book. Pretty soon a book gets finished and you wish you spent a little more time in a certain chapter. Anyway... I digress... as usual...

If you want to keep up with the Andersen family, this may be a way to do it.