It's 11:45 on a Saturday night and I'm awake. I haven't been watching a movie. I haven't been drinking (which would totally put me to sleep). What am I doing up? I'm waiting to go pick up my 15 years and 10months old son....from work. WHAT? Tonight, he is washing dishes at a wedding at a small event center a friend of ours owns. My life just gets weirder every day.
Don't get me wrong...I'm pretty excited that he is working. I'll admit, I'm tickled that he is washing dishes. And Joe is equally excited that he is working for someone else. He's just helping out, filling a need. But, maybe they will be able to use him occasionally in the future. I'll be honest, not nearly enough teenagers are working washing dishes these days. I'm going to go ahead and sound like an old person here. But, I was throwing 81 newspapers (yes, I remember exactly how many) everyday when I was 13. And my dad did not believe in driving me around in the car helping me. I was 5'2" and weighed probably 80 pounds. But I pulled that paper bag on (it hung to my knees) and walked about 6 blocks across town to where my route was located, and I threw papers. I still remember walking into a little diner to deliver their paper one day and my blue "velvet" coat was totally white with snow and the "Flo-like" waitress offering me a cup of hot cocoa. I faithfully threw the papers. But I hated collecting the money. I mean, I liked having money. But when I was 13 (and okay, when I'm 50), I absolutely hated talking to people I didn't know. And I'm a big old chicken. So, if the people seemed a little creepy, or they had a dog (Chihuahua or Doberman, didn't matter), I just didn't collect. Some of those people never paid a dime for their newspaper. But I can still drive by and show you which little house had a little old lady who gave me a stocking cap and matching scarf for Christmas....and the lady in the apartment that gave me chocolate covered cherries.
I digress! Sorry! Did I mention my boy is washing dishes tonight? Ahhhhh, memories, light the corners of my mind! I was a busboy....or girl, technically. And I washed many dishes from the age of 13-17 in different restaurants I worked in. And I put myself through nursing school waiting tables. So, I feel it's a right of passage for my son. Everyone needs to work in the service industry at some point. Because then, when you're 50 you can really appreciate it when you don't have to wash dishes anymore. Or serve people dinner. Or.....Hey, wait a minute! I have not evolved at all! Geez! I have no idea where I was going with this. I'm going to go get my boy and go to bed. This is depressing!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Happily Ever After
On June 1st, my baby got to be a flower girl in a beautiful wedding. That is a dream come true for most little girls. Our little flower girl really is a "she lived happily ever after" story, and so is the bride! About a year ago the beautiful bride, Kelsey, went through a really hard, painful time. It's her story, so I won't share all that happened. But she was wounded. And it was painful to see her have to walk such a hard road. But God...
God promises in his Word that He will work all things together for good for those who love the Lord. In the midst of such a painful time, Kelsey ran to the Lord. And He scooped her up and loved on her. He did a miracle. He brought a Godly man into her life, Jeremy. Jeremy wasn't going to settle for the world's view of dating or marriage. He wanted to let God guide their relationship. Jeremy and Kelsey began a sweet courtship. And on June 1st Kelsey walked down the aisle to her prince charming and became his bride. This was their first kiss.
What a blessing to get to be a little part of such a precious day. And what a delight to see the miracle that God has done!!!
Then there's the story of a certain beautiful little flower girl. Six years ago (almost to the day), Kelsey's mom and dad, Ken and Nita, were in China with a group of people on a mission trip. They spent a week working in the XinHui orphanage in Jiangmen City. They loved on kiddos, fed them, cared for them, helped around the orphanage. Lots of pictures were taken of all the beautiful children at XinHui. We knew that Ken and Nita had a ministry that helped children in China, but we were really just acquaintances.
On July 29, 2006 we finally received a referral for our Clara. We sent out e-mails with pictures and her name, announcing her referral. That night I got an e-mail from Ken asking what city and orphanage she was in. I e-mailed him the information. The next morning my phone rang and a tearful Nita said "Joy, this is Nita and I've held your baby girl." That was the end of being acquaintances and the beginning of a new branch on our family tree. It could only have been God that would allow one of the children from XinHui to come to our town, where Ken and Nita also live, to a family they "happened" to know. Ken and Nita became Papa and Nini. And the rest is history. Actually....HIS story!
So, on June 1st, Clara walked down the aisle as a flower girl in Kelsey's wedding. And six years ago, she met her Nini and Papa in an orphanage in China. At the wedding reception Clara danced with her daddy and her brother. And she danced with Papa and the KKs (Kelsey and Kendra). It was a little surreal, to look at the HUGE miracles God did to bring Clara and Kelsey to this place at this time. Thanks God! They lived happily ever after!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
What's on your bedside table?
Do you think your beside table tells any secrets about you? Hmmmm! Not sure. Mine breaks the news that it is everyone's least favorite place to have to dust. Well, that and my desk. I'll admit, it is not decorating at it's finest. It could possibly reveal that I'm a dork. And a creature of habit. A little sentimental. Aging. And a lot more laid back about housekeeping than I used to be.
So...let's see what we have here.
First....the big eye sore, the blue thermal cup. Since I was a little girl I've always had a big cup of water on my bedside table. I admittedly drink at least half of it most nights. I'm a person who likes a little drink with my ice. So, a thermal cup is in order. And, yes, I realize it is ugly and old. But none of the cute new ones let me wake up to a cup that still has ice in it. There you have it.
The clock...a necessary evil. The most important aspect of the clock? The snooze button. I am one of those people who set the alarm early enough so that I can hit the snooze at least two times....three to four times is FABULOUS!! Joe is the guy who wakes before the alarm or hears it and gets right out of bed. Not me. Those nine minutes of snooze time are the best sleep EVER! I mean, good, hard, deep sleep! Me loves me snooze button.
A picture of my kiddos. It's an old one of them on Christmas Eve many years ago. It is sweet and tender and melts my heart. It's back when Harrison was still really enamored with having a little sister and before she could talk very well. Hee! Hee!
Then there's that lovely yellow water can with fake flowers. I admit, I hate fake flowers. But my little one brought that home from church one night. And a couple of days later I found it on my bedside table. I gave it back to her. She kept putting it back on my table. She told me she just wanted me to have some beautiful flowers to look at. They made her think of me. Ahhhhhh! Seriously, they might be there forever.
On top of a stack of books is a little picture with the words “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, For all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” - Helen Keller My friend Kela gave me that picture after my mom died. It meant a lot to me then. It means a lot to me now.
Here comes the dork part. I have two book journals. One is a journal that I keep of all the books I read. I rate them all on a scale of 0-5. I write a review. It is going to be worth millions some day. (You know I'm joking, right?) The other journal I keep for my book club.
The "aging" part are the glasses. I can't read without them. I mean, I know how to read without them. But the print would have to be so big the weight of all the books would probably send the bedside table crashing to the ground. And because I used to tease my grandma about having "driving glasses, piano glasses, sewing glasses, and reading glasses" I now have "reading glasses, computer glasses, and a pair just for menus". Geez! It sucks getting old.
The rest are books. Well...in case the books aren't enough, there is a Nook in the mix somewhere too. The closest stack is always what I'm reading or in the queue to read. For instance, in this picture there is "What Alice Forgot", our book club book for last month. There is also "Clara and Mr. Tiffany", which I finished last night. And Tim Tebow's biography, which I started last week. There are a couple more that are in the lineup. And I need to download "Smarty Pants" to the Nook for this month's book club. Then, at the back of the table is the "reference section". It has books about raising your boy, raging the rapids with teenagers, marriage, a Bible study, and a couple of non-fiction books about China's hutongs being torn down for the Beijing Olympics.
I'm going to go ahead and admit that there is a huge wedge pillow next to the table that I use to sit up and read in bed. I think I see where this is going. My table says I like to read. It is my favorite little space of time at the end of the day. The Nook is nice, but I love to hold my book in my hands. I love to thumb through a book. I like to read all the acknowledgements and post scripts. I like to dog ear the pages, especially if I want to remember something on that page. I'm not afraid to mark in a book, as long as I own it. However, I got carried away and started marking in my friend Jenny's book. That reminds me, I need to replace that for her.
So....just curious....what's on your bedside table?
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