Boys' Birthday Bash

The latest additions to the family turned 1 this month--Drew on the 8th, Noah on the 23rd. They had a combined birthday party & whoo was it a P-A-R-T-Y. They got toys out the wazoo & clothes too. They seemed real excited about it all--so excited that neither were too interested in opening their gifts. Their cakes were set before them & they both just kind of looked--not ready to dig right in. Noah was very skeptical of getting himself dirty so he hesitated to even touch the cake. Drew played around in it a bit & messed his face up but he wasn't really eating it. After a while of allowing us all to be amused, their mommies took the cakes away & cleaned both boys up. Time sure does fly. I remember waiting at St. Joes for Baby Drew & as we waited, I chased Hannah down the hallways. We were all anxious to see Hannah's reaction to her new baby brother but it was less than one of joyfulness--she could have cared less. I'm happy to say that today, Hannah loves her little brother & is a good big sister to Drew. I'll not forget the call that came in the wee hours of the morning that Lisa was at the hospital. I remember rushing to get there when I learned they were going to do an emergency C-Section. I can still see our family uniting hands, hearts & prayers as we prayed to God to protect Lisa & Noah. Thank God--His hand was upon them. Today, Noah is walking & a busy little guy. It has been more than a delight to watch these 2 grow. To think I used to despise children & now, I'm intrigued by their every move--hmmm...I think God has been at work. The love I have for these kids is great. Something about a child reaching out for you that just melts your heart.

We're Not All The Same

Working with the public allows for meeting all kinds of interesting people. I never cease to be amazed with the things that people voluntarily will share with those that they barely know. People just talk & will tell anything & everything. Of the many who have done so, I have related differently with all of them. At times, I feel their pain & my heart goes out to them. Other times, I try to hide the shock on my face of that which they've just blurted out (although, I don't think some of them see it as blurting-it's not accidental). I know not whether one particular individual is perhaps a lonely soul or if they just enjoy talking. Seems that for every person that gets "stuck" having to listen to him, they are not freed for quite a while. Apparently, the man that I speak of spent time serving in our fine military. While in the Phillipines, he met a young lady but over the course of time, had lost touch with her. Somehow, they reconnected & last year, he went to visit her to "rekindle the relationship" (his words not mine). He left on a plane to move to the Phillipines to begin his life with his soon-to-be bride. However, before he left, he spent some time talking with some of us on staff at the credit union. When my fellow coworker waited on him, he complimented her on her wedding set. She gave all credit to her husband as he picked it out all by himself. I was glad to hear her tell this man that it was not about the ring to her but about the man she was marrying. She said she did not care what the ring looked like because she was so in love with the man. The gentleman immediately began on a tangent about how girls nowadays are so materialistic & the appearance of the ring WOULD be of utmost importance to them, etc. He went on to say that ladies today just don't appreciate things. He shared that while he considered moving his future wife here to America, he reconsidered when he had time to think about it & realized that in doing so, she may become "worldly." I listened to the whole thing & was very inclined to speak up for those of us (myself included) who are not materialistic, who don't care if a diamond is real or fake or what karat is, etc. I then thought about this couple's relationship. Obviously, if he feared that she could succumb to the pleasures of a life here in the U.S. & did not trust her enough to bring her here, their relationship is not based upon love & trust for one another. One of the big hits in the country world right now is Jake Owens' "Don't Think I Can't Love You." I love the song--the music & the lyrics. The chorus says, "Girl, I can't buy you a big diamond ring. No house on a hill full of life's finer things. And I tell you there's a whole lot I cannot do, buy baby don't think I can't love you." My desire is to one day marry. I don't seek to marry someone that has a loaded bank account, a mansion, a nice car & everything else that the "world" longs for. I seek to marry a man after His own heart. If that someone has all of those things & that is the person God desires for me, so be it. If not, I'm OK with that too. I long not for the finer things in life but simply to be loved & to love. To me, the blessing of a marriage would be the "finer thing in life." I can only pray that as this man has now made the Phillipines his home, he & his wife will get the happily ever after that he's been dreaming of.

First Fry Of the Year

I sometimes question, when will I ever learn from my mishaps? It is no secret that I am fair-skinned & extremely sensitive to the rays of the sun. This is not a new revelation by any means. For as long as I can remember, "getting color" has not been an issue for me as I "bake" rather quickly. Time after time, I have set out in the sunshine with failure to protect myself with sunscreen. Afterwards, I find myself well-done & in pain & agony. Yet, I still continue to let the bottle of SPF slip my mind. While driving home after a wedding last Saturday, I conversed with a new friend. As he talked to me, he was sitting out at a track meet in his home state of Alabama. He shared that it was rather warm, the hottest it had been there yet this year. He was wishing he would have taken an umbrella for shade. We talked at lengths about the sun--learned that we both like the rain. I whined about how I can be burnt within just a matter of minutes. The following day, my best buddy arrived at my house showing me her skin that was all blotchy thanks to discovering she's allergic to the sun. She found that out after being sun-poisoned last summer. As Crystal & I prepared to walk out the door to travel down to Busch Stadium for the Cardinals/Cubs game, (despite having had these conversations regarding the sun)never once did a lightbulb go off in my head that told me I should put sunscreen on or even take it with me to put on later. Once we arrived at the ballpark, the switch flipped on in my mind & I said to Crystal, "Guess what I forgot?" When I told her, she just shook her head. So, the consequence to my irresponsibility was a bright red cherry face as well as pink arms. Thankfully, we were not even in the full sun...we were partially covered where we were seated. As I write this, the pain has subsided & flakes have began to fall as I peel. I wonder....next time I must be outside, will I consider bathing myself in sunscreen? Probably not. Applying sunscreen is, to me, what taking medication is--something I forget regularly. I have to be reminded over & over to take medicine & even then, I seem to not remember. Perhaps one of these days the importance of both will be made known to me.

He Holds My Future

Back over the summer, my supervisor at work paid a visit to a psychic for a reading. She returned to work sharing all that she had been enlightened to. After her experience with the psychic, several others in the building began to discuss having a psychic party. When discussion about doing so first began, I was asked if I would participate. I quickly turned down the offer. The party had not been mentioned again until a while back. Finally, they worked out the details & a few weeks ago, 7 or 8 of my coworkers welcomed the psychic to one of their homes for the big party. Each individual paid between $65.00-$75.00 to hear all kinds of ridiculous thoughts. For one, he was told that he would be attending school in the future to be an auto mechanic. He hates cars & has no interest in working on vehicles. To one of the single gals, she shared with her that she was going to marry a guy named Rob within the next 2 years. She even went as far as to tell his height as well as give other details of his physical appearance. Yet, my coworker does not even know a man named Rob. To another coworker, she said that the guy's sister would never be a parent because she was unable to have children. Amazingly, she just gave birth to her first child several months ago. Easy to see that someone did not know so much afterall. I still am in disbelief that my coworkers were crazy enough to pay to hear such garbage. While I have questions that I sometimes think I would like to have answered (Will I marry? Who will I marry? When will I marry? Will I have children? How many children will I have?...these are just a few of the many wanderings of my mind), I know that He holds my future. I'm reminded of Jeremiah 29:11, ""For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I think I much rather put my trust in hope in a God who loves me & has my best interest at heart. I pray that God would use me to point my coworkers as well as others to the only One who knows it all.

Baseball & Blizzards?

April 6, 2009 proved to be the most unusual opening day for baseball that I'd ever been to. With temperatures well in the 70's just days before, April 6th came bringing snow, wind & very chilly weather. While it has been cool for opening day in the past, never before had I been at a game where snow fell. Due to the weather, my dad & I did not spend but a few minutes at the pre-game rally (generally, we get down there for the start of everything--make a whole day out of it). I was bundled up in a turtleneck, t-shirt, heavy duty fleece sweatshirt as well as my winter coat. Yet, I still froze. The Cardinals were less than stellar in the first game of the season (obviously by that remark, we lost) but we still were excited to be a part of the start of baseball season. Nothing compares to opening day in St. Louis. When the Hall of Famers take the field, the players ride around in the parade waving, the Clydesdales march beautifully around the park, the American Flag waves proudly & our nation's anthem is played-it's a great, great time.

Only One Regret

While I sit in my chair at my station working hard everyday, in between all the craziness, I sometimes hear music. At times, our sound system can be heard real well. As of late, I've heard many of the same songs playing time & time again. Several days ago, I hear a familiar tune--Amy Grant's "I Will Remember You." I tried to recall why the song stood out in my mind. Finally, it came to me-it was one of 2 songs sung at my high school graduation. My time of learning at Ft. Zumwalt South High School came to an end upon graduating in 1997. Though only 12 years have passed, those days seem like a lifetime ago. I look back & it is hard for me to believe that I've been out of school for so long. As I think over my time as a Bulldog (FZS's mascot), I have but only regret. In 4 years, I never attended a Coronation, Homecoming or Prom. I was told by many that one day I would regret the decision to fore go those. 12 years later, I still am not affected by my choice not to go. I don't feel as though I missed out in the slightest bit. In fact, I still have the outlook today that I had when I was in school (I have no dancing ability so why would I want to pay a bunch of money to be surrounded by people I don't like to do something I don't enjoy doing?). However, I do regret that daily I walked the halls as a so-called Christian but yet, I refused to act like Christ & love those around me. I had no desire to be around my classmates simply because they were not Christians & I disapproved of their actions. Yet, I never bothered to exude Christ -likeness to them. Instead, I just put my nose up in the air at them & acted as a snob. Yes, I realize that many probably saw a difference in me due to my lack of participation in their conversations as well as the fact that they never heard foul words come from my mouth. But, did I ever show them Jesus? I did not. When asked about my biggest regret in life thus far, my failure to be a witness for My Lord during my high school years always is my answer. I don't get a do-over on those days but I do get an opportunity to be the light from this day forward. May God give me all that I need to do so. May, in another 12 years, I look back & see lives that I've impacted for the better because of my love for Him.

Going Solo

I've much I would like to write about yet I seem to busy myself with other things; not taking the time to write. For now, I'll just share a little. When I began working at my current job, I quickly realized that I may be the only Christian on staff. Thankfully, through conversations, observation, etc. I learned that the I.T. guy, Josh, was a believer as well. I cannot express the happiness I had when I found that information out. Transitioning from a Christian workplace to a secular one was not easy by any means. Knowing that I had a fellow Christian in the building was of great encouragement to my heart. Today, was Josh's last day with us as he is moving on to another job. When I heard the news that he was leaving, I was saddened. Yet, I am excited for Josh's future & what God has in store for him. He has left such an impact on our coworkers & gained the respect of everyone. Now, for a short time (I say short because it appears as though my pick for a new hire is getting the job. He too, is a brother in Christ), I will be going solo in the effort to be a light to those surrounding me. I know I am well-liked by my coworkers & supervisors. I'm fully aware that their eyes are on me-watching everything I do, listening to everything I say. I pray that as I continue to daily walk into the building, I may do my best to reflect Godliness to each one of them. My heart yearns for them all to come to salvation. I pray for that day. In a time when I was quite discouraged about being at the job, God allowed me the pleasure of getting to know Josh. Though Josh has been on the other side of the building & we would only talk for a few minutes each day, simply knowing he was there was a huge blessing. I'm definitely going to miss having him around & I know the feeling is mutual...he'll for sure miss my sarcasm, constant phone calls, etc.