It's Official!!

Well, after MUCH prayer and soul-searching it's official...I am a pastor's wife! Tim is the new lead pastor at The Oasis Church in Loganville, GA! We are so sad to be leaving our UPI family who we love SO MUCH, but we are excited about the opportunity to serve alongside our new OC church family! Their website can be found here ~ http://www.theoasischurch.org/.

It has been a whirl-wind weekend with dear friends in town and then the church announcement this morning. I'll write more in the next couple of days after I have had time to recover!!

Fall!!!

I went to the Country Living Fair yesterday at Stone Mountain. While it was fun and I did find some cute things, my favourite part of the day was walking around later taking fall pictures! The trees were pretty (well, as pretty as they get down here ;O) ) and the weather was perfect! Here is a little of what I saw...

Meet My Friend...

I have spent an inordinate amount of time in the car ~ by myself ~ lately and it has given me time to think, reflect, contemplate and remember. I have found my thoughts going to friends who are scattered all over and one particular friend has occupied much of my thoughts lately.

My friend is quite extraordinary. In fact, she is so extraordinary that I realized you all just have to meet her. She is the kind of friend who lights up a room and makes you realize that life really is full of sweet surprises. My friend’s name is, Sydney, and she has cerebral palsy.

Sydney’s mom and I have been friends since before either one of us was married. Over 20 years of time has passed and we find ourselves with a very firm heart bond that time and distance has not weakened. Laurie is an amazing mom and you all should meet her, too, but that will have to wait for another day for today is all about Syd.

Syd is 12 and experienced a lack of oxygen to her brain when she was born (acknowledged doctor error) and she has grown up without the ability to care for many of her own basic needs. There is something quite amazing about Syd, though. Her body may not cooperate as she would like it to, but hear me when I say there is a mind as sharp as any I have met behind those twinkly eyes.

Syd has a zest and a zeal for life that many of us show signs of lacking on any given day. She has been blessed with many special friends who have been able to see past her physical limitations to the wonderful, spirited girl that lies beneath. Syd is my FB friend and I am one of many.

Sydney lives in Connecticut and many who reside in Connecticut are die-hard Boston Red Sox fans. Syd would fit that category. Actually, I am not so sure that she is as big a Red Sox fan as she is a HUGE Big Papi fan! To say that David Ortiz is Syd’s favourite player would be like saying it snows more in Alaska than it does here in GA...it’s a huge understatement!!

Last year Syd decided to write Big Papi a letter and tell him just what a die-hard fan she was of his. Later that year, Syd and her brother, Daniel, got to be the ones to announce, “Play ball!” at the beginning of a Red Sox game. During the festivities, much to Syd’s surprise and squealing excitement, she got to meet David Ortiz. David was able to read the letter Syd had written and it so clearly touched him that anyone nearby could see that he was moved almost to tears. He wasn’t so moved by the level of Syd’s devotion because there are no limits to the number of deeply devoted Red Sox and Big Papi fans. What touched Big Papi so much that night was when he realized that the entire letter Syd had typed out to him had been typed with her nose.

Big Papi signing Sydney's shirt!

Do you need me to say that again so you can take it all in? Syd typed an entire letter with her nose!! I am having a hard time typing this blog post without multiple mistakes and I am using numerous fingers. Everything Syd does on the computer...letters, FB posts, etc...is done with her nose. Are you getting a glimpse into why I think my friend, Syd, is quite so amazing?

I don’t know about you, but I certainly have days where I can throw a pity party with all the trimmings. I become focused on my limitations and what I perceive as areas that are lacking and thus the spiral begins. Remembering people like Syd helps me realize that attitude is a choice and I always have an opportunity to determine what I will focus on.

Sydney’s mom had breast cancer a few years back. She endured numerous rounds of chemo and ended up losing her hair. I cannot imagine how difficult that would be because our hair is such an important part of who we are. Laurie was struggling one day with the prospect of having to go somewhere with a group of friends and was anxious about what they would think about her hair, or lack thereof. She expressed her apprehension to Syd to which Syd responded...

“I can’t even feed myself and my friends love me! Do you think your friends are going to quit loving you just because you have no hair?”

Just let that perspective sink in for a while...

Do you see it? Attitude is not a geographical location or one that is based on physical abilities. Attitude is what we purpose in our hearts to become our focus and what we allow our minds to dwell on. Syd seems to have learned the secret of Phil 4:8 ~ “Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy, dwell on these things.”

Thank you, Syd, for being my friend and for reminding me what’s really important in life. Thank you for being a portrait of perseverance and overcoming limitations. Thank you for reminding us all that there is much more to a person than the outward shell they come wrapped in. You’re an amazing girl and I am humbled to be your friend!!

Farewell to Our Skipper!!

It's hard to believe that Bobby Cox will never again be seen waddling out on to the field at full tilt to argue a call in defense of his players! The Braves team, without him at the helm, will seem so strange come March of next year!

We thank you for your years of dedication to the Braves and the city of Atlanta, Bobby! Thank you for allowing Tim to have free reign as the chaplain and trusting his heart toward you and your players. Thank you for allowing him to travel with the team and thank you for trusting him enough to talk through decisions with him when you felt he could offer some insight. You are an amazing man who will be greatly missed!!

We love you, Bobby Cox!!!

She Turned 8!

The newly turned 8yo in action!

Well, I missed posting on the actual day our Hannah turned 8, but it was a day full of fun from beginning to end! It started with a cornhole tournament to raise money for our friends' foundation.

Our dear friends, Smith and Julie, who started the Jackson Smith Peck Foundation after their sweet 4yo, Jack, was killed in an accident!

It was a day full of beautiful weather, fun, food, family (and friends who are family) and plenty of trash-talking. Tim and his partner, Jay, again took home the first place trophy which they feel shows the first time was not a fluke! Hannah and KK took 3rd in their division and ended up with medals and trophies. To say that they were thrilled is an understatement!

Boards, boards everywhere!!

After the cornhole tourny, the girls and I went to the Third Day, Toby Mac and Michael W. Smith concert.

Mac Powell, Toby Mac and Michael W in an unexpected moment at the back of the venue!

We had a great time hanging out with our friend, Barbara. I have known Barbara since we were teenagers and I am thankful the Lord has preserved our friendship. We got to meet Mac and Aimee's new little girl, Birdy, and we got to see our great friend, Sweeney who is like one of my own!

The girls with Sweeney! Hannah had never met him and she couldn't figure out why he kept calling me "Mama"!

Hannah had such a great day, but I think she partied a little too hard. The trip home found her throwing up in Chick-Fil-A bag which then caused Rachel to have to hang her head out the window because she was gagging so much! Ay-yi-yi!! Not how I envisioned our day ending, but I must admit I laughed so hard I had to work to keep the car on the road!!

Dear, Lord, thank you for birthdays, 8 year olds, good friends, lots of fun, music and unexpected memories ~ all rolled into one looonnngggg day!

Where Did I Go Wrong?

It has finally gotten cooler here in Georgia! To say that I am thrilled is an understatement because this was the longest, hottest summer we have had since I lived here! I wasn't sure I'd make it, but I did! At any rate, it is in the high 60's to low 70's during the day and 40's at night. My kids have loved playing outside now that it is cooler and I am loving the opportunity for them to run off a lot of pent up energy. There is a problem, though...

The last 2 days when they have gone out to ride bikes and play in the morning, they have been wearing hats and mittens!! (I know I am shouting, but it fits here!) LOL!! Seriously? What is wrong with them? You would think an arctic blast had worked its way into the state the way they are dressed.

As someone who was born and raised in Canada and loves cold weather, this is a little embarrassing to have kids with so little tolerance for a little nip in the air!

I must have done something wrong...

Diligence...

^{Prov. 13:11} Easy come, easy go,

but steady diligence pays off.

I saw this Proverb in action last weekend when I was in the mountains. We were staying in 4 houses and Saturday morning I was walking from the house we were meeting in to the one I was staying in. I heard an extremely loud hammering sound from one of the houses in between and tried to figure out the source. I couldn't imagine someone was already up working on their roof at that time of day, but it sounded like when we had our new roof put on and the guys were driving in nails.

As I looked around I realized what seemed to be the cause of the ruckus, but I wasn't wearing my glasses and I was confused by what I saw. I headed into my room and grabbed my glasses and my camera and ran out to see if I really was seeing what I thought I was seeing. It looked like a bird the size of a buzzard was on the side of the chimney drilling away. I focused the camera and zoomed it in and was shocked at what I saw...

It was, without a doubt, the biggest woodpecker I had ever seen and it had made a huge hole in the side of the chimney! Talk about diligence!! There was no telling how much time it had taken that woodpecker to whittle and hammer away at the siding the way it had! Now I realize it was almost large enough a bird to roast for Thanksgiving dinner, but that's beside the point. I almost felt like I should give it a standing "O" just for sheer effort alone!

Whenever I feel like I am facing an insurmountable task, I hope I remember this woodpecker! There's no telling just what diligence will allow us to accomplish in life!

He Knows...He Hears!

I went to a ladies' retreat last weekend up in the foothills of the mountains. Getting away was such a lovely prospect and I was excited. There are outlet malls right near where we were going to be and I decided to leave early and check them out. On the way up to the mall I was thinking about the 2 things I wanted to look for while I was there...an emery board and a travel nail kit. Both of these were items I was in somewhat desperate need of and I figured there may be a store there that could accommodate me.

I arrived at the outlet mall and checked out a couple of stores. It was very hot and I was not in the mood to sweat. Seeing as how the mall was outside, I was left with 2 choices...sweat or leave. Leaving meant not finding either of the 2 items I had hoped to obtain, but at that point I really didn't care.

When I got to the retreat and was shown to my room, there was a gift bag sitting on my bed. As I eagerly peered through the tissue paper and observed its contents, I saw a small cellophane bag wrapped around the prettiest emery board I had ever seen and tied with a little bow. Not only was it an emery board, but it was a Mary Engelbreit emery board.

I was halfway there...

During the weekend they had so many little gifts they bestowed upon us....giveaways all wrapped up and tied with the prettiest array of bows you have ever seen. Saturday morning they passed around the basket of lovelies and guess what our gift for that session was? Yep! A little travel nail kit! Isn't that exciting?! I hadn't prayed and asked the Lord for an emery board and a nail kit, but the silent pondering of my heart was that I wanted those 2 things out of the weekend...and He heard, He knew and He delivered!!

It was such a powerful reminder to me that He cares about even the little, unspoken details of my life. He met me in neat ways through the speaker and the girls who were assembled there, but that was more of a corporate meeting. The emery board and nail kit were His highly intimate way of smiling down, enveloping me in a hug and whispering how wildly crazy He is about me!

Thank You, Papa, for the very clear and definite way You showed Your love to me last weekend! Thank You for reminding me that there is no where I am that You are not intimately acquainted with and no thoughts I think that You are not aware of and tuned into to! Thank You for the lovely reminder that I am Your girl and You are crazy about me!