Refined mice

So, my Becky had to pull an all-nighter this week to prepare for a test. The next morning she loudly proclaims...."Mom, we have a mouse in the house. Please get rid of it!" as she parades around the house in shoes because she is afraid of the mouse.

Now can I just say this, I am not a cat fan....I prefer a dog....but in this instance....I picture my dog laying around the house all day while these mice have a party in my house and I wonder why I don't have a cat....it's a fleeting moment.

Anyhow, that night I ran to Lowe's for some mouse traps....I buy old-faithfuls, the wooden ones that kill the mice.

That night I loaded four of them with cheese...as I loaded them my Becky comes into see what I am doing. I show her...she then says, "Do these things kill the mouse?" I say, "Yes....as a matter of fact, these babies are so tight that I think they will decapitate the mice."

Becky then says, "Mommmmmm.....you can't kill the mouse!"

My David, who is 13 and all boy, says, "Ohhhh cool."

I tell him that it is his job to check the traps in the morning and get rid of the dead bodies.

Next morning....I wake David up and he goes to check the traps...."Nothing."

Becky sighs with relief.

Last night I load the traps with peanut butter....."We'll have mices in the morning."

This morning....no mices.....David is disgusted and Becky sighs with relief..."You know mom....we could just let the mice live in here."

So, tonight.....well.....I think I will put cheese and crackers and maybe a little wine out for them....or maybe my cheese is too strong.

Wibble wobble wibble wobble to and fro

So, I am a crazy mom....I mean the kind of mom that freaks out when I loose track of any of my children. I remember one such time when I took my kids to Disney World.

My David was 3 years old and my Becky was 6 and my Katie was 8. We went with a friend of mine and her three children. We were trying to keep track of 6 kids, so we would strategically place one adult in the front of the six kids and the other at the end of the line. Our system was working well....until the "Lion King."

We were leaving the "Lion King" show....there was a large crowd of people filing out of the auditorium. We decided that we should stop and check the map to see where we would go next. So, we filed out and found a little nook that we could step out from the crowd and check the map. Front adult stepped to the left.....kids followed....I was bringing up the rear and stepped to the left....I then began my count of the kids....1, 2, 3, 4, 5........5.......where was my David?

My heart stopped.....no David. Where was he? I ran to find a Disney World employee while the others began a search of the area. My heart stopped....my mind going in all kinds of directions...what if someone stole my son....what if that was the last time that I saw my son....what if I never hugged him again....I wanted to vomit.

Twenty minutes later they radioed to me that they had found David. He was only a few hundred yards from the Lion King show. While we had filed out of the show...and stepped out of the line....he had just continued to follow an adult butt....not realizing it was not his mommy's butt that he was following.

My advice to young parents......make a big mark on your butt, something that is unique so that your little ones follow the right butt.

There's a hole in the bucket

So, I have been struggling to describe what I am feeling inside lately. I think that I would describe it as "empty."

Empty means lacking reality, substance, meaning or value; or having no purpose. Another word would be "vacuous" - meaning lacking contents that should be present.

What has caused this emptiness? Why am I lacking meaning and value? What contents should be present?

So, I begin to try to pour the contents that should be present back into me....I begin to find ways to pour meaning and value back into my life....

I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart

So, someone sent me this today and it made me laugh.

A nurse on the pediatric ward, before listening to the little ones' chest, would plug the stethoscope into their ears and let them listen to their own heart. Their eyes would always light up with awe, but she never got a response equal to four-year old David's comment. Gently she tucked the stethoscope into his ears and placed the disk over his heart. "Listen," she said...."What do you suppose that is?" He drew up his eyebrows and looked up as if lost in the mystery of the strange tap - tap - tapping deep in his chest. Then his face brok out in a wondrous grin and he asked, "Is that Jesus knocking?"

I laugh because this reminds me of my great niece Hannah. She and her nee-nee (aka, my sister) were laying in bed one night discussing how Jesus lives in your heart. Hannah rolled over to the edge of the bed and gasped...."Nee-nee, I think Jesus just fell out of bed."

I am here

So, last night I went to the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville to watch my son perform in the All State Junior Chorus. There was a full house, which meant there were over 2,000 people in the audience.

My son walked out onto the stage. I was so proud....there was my little boy, all grown up....on stage in Louisville.

The KMEA staff went through the introductions and formalities. As they were going through them....there was my son, hand up on his forehead trying to block out the spotlights so he could find me in the audience. It did not matter to him that his cool best friend was not looking for his mom....my David was going to find me. He was scanning the audience, back and forth. Problem was that I was in the very back row. I stood up and lit up my cell phone and began to wave my arms back and forth with cell phone light glowing. David continue to scan the audience....hand blocking out the spotlights.....scanning.....scanning.....and then he saw me. He smiled and his face glowed....he was contented.....and he could sing now.

I wondered....is God scanning the crowd for me.....and when He sees me, does His face light up?

The top shelf

So, tonight when I finished my shower, I began to dry off....starting with my hair. I caught my earring in the towel and felt it come out of my ear. I did NOT hear it hit the shower floor. That worried me....since these are the earrings that David bought me for Christmas last year.

I began to look for the earring in the towel.....nothing.

I felt my earlobe.....nothing.

I am perplexed......then I look down, and there is the earring.....sitting right on top of my boob. Seriously? It's time for a reduction.

Trust me....

So, I am in the second month of my year of "Trust." Hmmm......what could month number two hold. In my typical fashion...I didn't figure it would hold much.

Last month I said a simple prayer asking God to let my David get to see the UK Wildcats play basketball in person. Within four days....David was sitting at Rupp Arena watching the Cats play basketball. God had amazed me.

Ephesians 3: 20 states, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...

Immeasurably more than all I can ask or imagine...seriously?

So last night I am washing dishes and my cell phone rings. It's a friend of mine...Steve. Steve asks if he can speak to David. I put David on the phone. David's face begins to shine....I have no idea what is going on but David is smiling from ear to ear. He hangs up....Steve had asked him to go to tonight's UK basketball game.

Immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine....well.....I asked for David to get to see one UK basketball game this season....within one month of that prayer....he's up to two!