Seeing with New Eyes

Sometimes our past selves have a lot to teach us. So quickly we forget where we have come from.  I cut and pasted what I wrote 4 years ago on this very day below: "I was reflecting today on this past year. A year ago at this time, we were awaiting some news about our sweet boy. We were waiting to hear whether or not our lives would change forever. We were waiting on God. Waiting for Him to show us what would be next. It was hard. Probably one of the scariest moments a parent can go through. Wondering if your child would have a normal life. If he would be healthy and thriving. And on November 16th, 2012, we got a phone call that our son was just fine. He was completely normal. And we breathed a sigh of relief. I vowed to try and remember that place of desperation as I moved forward. Easier said than done. It's hard to be in that place when life is cruising along. Until something else happens. You are right back there in that place. 6 weeks after I had our sweet baby boy, ...

I wrote last week about the desire to hide behind masks to save "face" or preserve integrity. We do it more frequently than we may think and in at least my case to salvage pride.  The problem is that when we keep the masks on, we forfeit authentic relationships. If we can get to a place where we lay down our masks and acknowledge that we really don't have it all together, that is when we begin to see ourselves come alive. Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. In keeping with the theme of Halloween, it would be fun to demonstrate my ongoing thought with our actual costumes this year. Our family dressed up as superheroes. A couple of a bat people, wonder woman, and a tiny spidy (Spiderman). I think there is a reason we (as a human race) like, at least the idea, of superheroes. They embody what we would look up to. Justice, hope, power, to name a few. At our core, we want to have those qualities or powers that truly impact the world. Make ...

Yesterday was Halloween. I loved this holiday as a child. I got to be a different person for one day and collect as much candy as possible. How cool is that? Well, sort of. There is the whole cavity and pre-diabetes concern. That aside, the idea that you get to be someone else and get rewarded is fun but a bit twisted. Hear me loud and clear Halloween lovers: I am not knocking Halloween. It's a perfectly fun holiday. Just bear with me for a bit. As I sprayed black dye onto my daughter's hair, I thought about how much of our life is spent pretending to be someone we are not. We are often told to from a very early age that we must act a certain way or put on a happy face or not throw a tantrum. If we are "good," we get a treat. Whether it's candy, an A+, or even a trophy. In reality, we never grow out of that. We are constantly bombarded with messages to perform. We have to "fake it 'til we make it" in jobs, as students, even as parents. I will agree...

It was fall break for my daughter this past week. Our household has had a couple of issues that would probably go unnoticed most weeks. I would not say that they were minor, just things that slide under the surface on any given day due to busy lives. Lying about homework was the first one. Jocelyn didn't want to do a page of her homework. We do a page a day, so we aren't bombarded at the end of the week. She had already finished one page the day before. I instructed her to do the next one. She should have had 2 pages completed when I checked that night.  I found only one page complete and no more. Bummer. Yesterday, both my children, decided that it would be ok to take a penny from the horse ride jar at King Soopers (our local grocery store). Both of the children had to return to the scene of the crime and place the penny back in the jar. Bummer again. I could take these things to signify that: A. I am failing as a parent  B. My kids are hooligans C. Both of the ...

Our world is so amazing! The planet we live on has so many awesome things. Did you know that most of the earth is made up of water? 70% of it! So only 30% of the earth is made of land. And land that is where 7.6 Billion people live. Those billions of people live in 193 countries. Each country has a unique group of individuals. They speak different languages, eat different foods, and wear different clothes. If we put one person from each country, all in one place, it would look a lot like what Heaven will be like. How cool is that? My daughter goes to a really cool school. It teaches languages and cultures that are found all around the world. Every month, we get to learn about a new country. I love this because it exposes my family to areas that I never knew existed. Now I will be honest and let you know that Geography is not my strongest subject. I'd be willing to bet there are many people that share my same disadvantage. This month, our school is studying a country by...

I can't help but write about the butterflies right now. They are everywhere. If you are anywhere other than Colorado, there has been a Monarch butterfly migration through our state this past week.  To me, they are like little love notes from God. Just when I think there is nothing to smile about on any given day, out pops a butterfly, or two, or a whole swarm! I have always loved the butterfly analogy and how it relates to us humans.  We so desperately want to be the thing we were created to be but we aren't there yet. It's like we are stuck. It is a strange tension between the already, not yet. Think about the life cycle of the butterfly. It is already a butterfly by its nature, but not yet. It doesn't know it yet because it has to go through the refining process. It is destined to become something more. It is a butterfly in progress. It's called something different before it actually emerges, but it is still a butterfly. It has to go through a journey, maybe a...

I hate strongly dislike obligation. Well, at least, when I am the one obligated. E specially when I committed to something   and then 10 other things get stacked on it even with the best intention . There is heaviness that hangs around my neck when I am obligated to someone or something. I just don't like the idea of having to be in debt to anything. That feels like prison. Not freedom. But obligation is not a law or a requirement. The actual definition is "to bind or compel someone, especially legally or morally." So if I boil it down, it's not something I have to do. It's more like something that is highly suggested. This is where it gets tricky. While I don't agree with it entirely, there is thought process in this generation that you have to do what makes you happy and you don't have to do what doesn't. Obligation only exists in a world of rules and order. I often look at obligation through the tainted glass of the world. I view it less as a pr...