MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Descendants - Geneology

In the portion of “Same Kind of Different as Me” that I read last night, Denver was describing Miss Debbie as a shooting star. He talked about people who often burn brightly, but too suddenly disappear.

I smiled.

I have had a thing for stars for a long time.

Perhaps it stems from growing up in South Dakota, with its wide open skies, untainted by city lights, tall buildings, and pollutions. The stars in South Dakota somehow seem to shine more brightly, more frequently, and they seem to go on for ever.

Genesis 15:5 "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them."

I think it was during my first summer working at NeSoDak Bible Camp where my love for stars really hit me. Every week on the last night of camp, I took my cabin of girls out to the dock and we all laid on our backs and looked up at the stars, far too numerous to count. Inevitably, we would see falling stars, and we’d all gasp and point together. As we laid there on our backs in the beautiful summer night, I would share the following thoughts that I had gathered together about how stars are kind of like God.

Have you ever stopped to consider the stars? How often do you pause to look up?

Sometimes stars are burning so brightly, so brilliantly, that it almost seems like daylight. You stand in awe at their brilliance and gasp at their beauty.

Sometimes stars are hidden by clouds or bad weather.

Sometimes the tall city buildings and bright city lights overpower the stars – or seem to from our limited view from down here.

And sometimes we just plain forget to look up.

Did you notice that God is kind of like that?

Sometimes our walk with Him is so close, so intense, that the brightness is overwhelming. We see Him clearly. The vastness of His world is crisp and clear before you. You feel as if you could reach out and touch Him, and that you’re a part of His massive plan.

Sometimes we go through troubling times where clouds and storms are in abundance. It feels as if He’s left you. There’s little, if any, light shining through.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our life, and the glitz and glamour that it might offer. We’re enticed by “the shiny things” that fame and fortune and success might offer. We’re unable to see God, because we’re enamored by things of this world.

And sometimes we’re so caught up in living our little ol’ life that we simply forget to look Up and acknowledge why our life is so blessed in the first place.

Yet despite our attitudes, despite our situation, despite our attention or faithlessness – God, like the stars, is always there. He’s always shining brightly waiting for us to look up. He’s shining faithfully despite the clouds or bright lights that threaten to block Him from our view.

He’s always there.

We just need to look Up.

Jon's Aunt Val posted this, and I just had to share. May I remember Who needs the glory when I'm feeling disgruntled that no one is noticing what I do...

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’ Obviously, not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible. “The invisible Mom.”

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: “Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?” Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?” I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I’m a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.” I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude – but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going; she’s going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: “To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.” In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”

The workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder – as one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My Mom gets up at 4:00 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re going to love it there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

I really meant to do this on New Year’s Day. Really and truly I did. Perhaps my procrastination is indicative of my desire to be lazy! I know that once I write them down, I will be accountable.

I read a quote through twitter that I thought was really a good one…

“New Year's resolutions don't last! Only our commitments to change made to Christ and relying on His power to change us do!”

I wish I knew who to quote it to. I can trace the Tweet back to the founder of Celebrate Recovery, so for now, he gets credit.

Think about that quote though – how true it is!

On my own, I have absolutely no discipline or motivation. I’m lazy and perfectly content to sit around and veg. My sitting around is not honoring to God, my family certainly deserves better, and frankly, I owe myself more than that, too!

Without further ado, here are my New Year’s Resolutions in no particular order.

Serve My Family. As I mentioned in my last Crazy Love post, I really have been struggling with the fact that I’m not serving. I enjoy doing service projects, working with youth, being active in various church groups. However, I’ve really felt like those opportunities to do so as a family were not presenting themselves well this past year. I’m not naïve – I know they’re out there. As I was cleaning my house for Christmas, I felt as if God was saying to me, “This is the kind of serving you need to be doing.” Now he wasn’t saying, “Dust your house,” (though perhaps He should have been). Rather, He was reminding me that I need to serve my family without grumbling or complaining. I need to stop keeping score of who last took out the trash or emptied the dishwasher. I need to make our house a place of respite and renewal for all of us. I need to cast off my selfishness and choose to clean. I need to be obedient to God in His request of me serving my family. And I know that this simple gesture will also make all of us happier.

Eat More Healthfully / Meal Plan. Our schedules are very inconsistent, so this one will be challenging. We often rely on frozen lasagna or other “take out” type options found in the frozen food sections or restaurants on the way home, simply because we sometimes don’t get home until 6:30 or 7:00pm. However, with a bit more planning, we can easily have grilled meat and salad, fresh fruit and veggies, or even healthy leftovers each night. I need to focus on eating less processed food and more fresh food, less sugar and white carbs and more fresh fruit and veggies. Jon is fully on board with this and is also a spectacular cook, so we really need to join forces on this one.

Go to Bed by 10:30 on Work Nights. I’m a night owl. Always have been. And I’m TERRIBLE about mornings…always have been. However, my late night habits are neither healthy nor productive. It would be different if I was up cooking, cleaning, exercising, or reading the Bible. However, I’m typically doing none of these things. While what I’m typically doing (scrapbooking, chatting on line with Bloomies, watching videos, etc) isn’t BAD, it’s not necessary or productive, and it’s hurting my time with my family.

Eat Breakfast. When I was in fifth grade, I did a speech on why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It was all about “Breaking the Fast.” And yet, I typically value sleep over a healthy breakfast in the morning, opting instead to just grab something and go. Unfortunately, my kids often also “grab and go.” It’s SO easy to whip up some scrambled eggs and ham. My mother-in-law has a fabulous recipe for oatmeal waffles; the batter stores in the refrigerator for a couple days. Both of these options are healthier and more filling for a longer period of time than our current breakfast choices. Even choosing to sit down together as a family for a bowl of cereal is a better start to the day. And if I go to bed earlier, I can get up with adequate time to do this.

Exercise Consistently. I finally got fed up with the baby body-shifting I’ve experienced. The weight is gone…but with it is every ounce of tone I once had. I’m tired of not buying clothes because trying them on is depressing. I’m tired of embracing the trendy “baggy” style simply because I wouldn’t dream of wearing a fitted shirt right now. I’ve signed up to run a Half Marathon this Spring. Not only have I signed up, I’ve PAID! I’ve also discovered that even with a deadline and a goal, my schedule makes fitting in exercise VERY challenging. So I do feel a bit better about my lack of exercise – that it wasn’t just sheer laziness! Despite that, however, I have 13 miles to run in a mere 72 days, so I better get going! The half marathon is only one piece of motivation though – I also know that exercise makes me feel better, makes me more alert, boosts my self confidence – there are NO negative effects for me with exercise. I also want so badly to model good and healthy behavior for my kids – so consistent exercise is a must. This morning, Amara asked me, “Can tomorrow’s adventure be to the gym so we can go swimming?” Life’s an exciting adventure to her – what a great attitude! And why can’t the adventure take us to the gym!?

Draw Near to God. I said these aren’t in rank order, but this is easily the most important. Kelly at Kelly’s Korner said it perfectly. I spend many hours of each day singing or listening to praise and worship music. I pray frequently throughout the day as people and thoughts cross my mind. I interact often with other Christians and engage in biblical discussions. However, I don’t do a good job of consistently being IN THE WORD and truly getting to KNOW God by reading what He has said. I absolutely NEED to be in His word and get to know him better.

So there you have it. Those are my Resolutions for 2010.

Or perhaps I should call them “My Commitments to Change Made to Christ.”

I suppose it wouldn't have been a surprise if I'd have checked the weather... but we woke up yesterday morning to a surprise snow! We got probably 3-5 inches, which for our area is quite a bit. That small amount of snow rendered our hill undrivable, so we were housebound. That snow also cancelled school for the day today, so the kids and I are home watching movies by the fire.

The kids decided that they wanted to go outside and play in the snow. It was 28 degrees, so by snow standards, a beautiful day. I bundled them up as best I could -- I'm ashamed to admit that as a northerner, I've purchased my kids no snow pants, boots, or good gloves and hats, etc. But they wore layers of pants and their nice warm jackets. We made snow angels (OK, they did), tried to have snowball fights (it was pretty powdery), and used garbage can lids as make-shift sleds. Our neighbor has an extra steep driveway, which made for a great sledding hill.

For the first time... the kids LOVED the snow! Their first experience in it last Christmas they really didn't enjoy.

Perhaps they have a bit of northern blood in them afterall!