Miss Me

Rides home in a cold van on a cold snowy, windy night make me want to move to Georgia. I visited Savannah once in December and loved it. Tonight, I sang "Georgia on my mind" as I drove and shouted to the kids "I am moving to Georgia!" C responds with "but winter is my favorite season" (the little Minnesotan at heart). And I reply, "I said 'I'm moving' not 'we're moving'." And they all shout "but we'll miss you!" And I wonder if their replies will be about missing me or about missing what I do. Is it wrong that I should want for them to be able to distinguish? I can't even distinguish. Tonight, when Tim asked the Jr. high group to think of one thing they were confident they could do well, the only thing I could think of--washing dishes. Sure enough their answers center around my cooking. Dad can cook, I argue. No, he only cooks frozen pizza not "warm" pizza like you make. And then comes the music "and he doesn't know how to cook rice and beans!" And whether they realize it or not, they've said they'll miss me. The reason we eat rice and beans so often that they've learned to like it and even ask for seconds and say they'll miss it....because of who God is growing me to be. I read Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis and as she described her humble home in Uganda, cooking rice and beans for 13 beautiful girls, living out her faith courageously, I looked around at all our stuff, all our space, and all our food. And thought of the first believers in Acts who gathered together and shared their food and belongings and money. Who sold what they had to give to those who did not. I want my children to understand the plight of our brothers and sisters around the world and not just to feel guilty about us having so much and they so little but to wonder "why?" We remind ourselves often around here "God has blessed us so we can be a blessing." We started with simplifying our meals--beans or lentils and rice for several nights a week. And at first they complained. But we kept at it. And now they'd miss me cooking rice & beans for dinner if I ran away to warmer places for the remainder of this winter. They'd miss me. I'm praying about the next step we take to simplify, share and bless. And in the meantime, I encourage you also to...

Keep going. Keep walking the path that God has for you. Make the hard choices. The seemingly ridiculous choices. Ask the hard questions. Ask why. Why you have so much. Why you were born in a free country. Why you can read. write. cook. sew. think. Whatever it is, ask why and then bless somebody else in your gratitude.

Hello Mornings!

So someday I'll take the time to do a real post about the Hello Mornings challenge and maybe even figure how to link it up on here. But in the meantime, here's a real life pic of my morning study nook all ready for tomorrow morning, 5:40 am. Coffee maker set up/timer set. IPOD alarm on the desk OUT of reach from my bed, so I can't hit snooze. Robe ready and waiting to keep me toasty. And my Bible, Abounding Hope study binder, and journal all at the ready...The piles? well, they're holding down the desk, of course. Oh and the bananas--one for me and one for my 3 year old who will inevitably be up at 6 to ask for a "nana." Be prepared!