What would you say?

My friend, Patti, posted this on her blog and invited us to do the same.

What would you say if you knew you were going to die and had a chance to sum up everything that was most important to you?

I've been thinking about this today.  There are three things I'd want everyone to know that I consider most important to me.

1) My Faith.  I am a sinner saved by grace.  I have a Heavenly Father who loves me unconditionally and His son, Jesus, died in my place so that I could be reunited with my Father.  I am and have become a different person as a follower of Jesus.  I want people to be able to look back at my life and see Jesus.  And if anyone sees that and wants that for themself, I couldn't ask for more.

2) My Family.  Because God is real, my family is the story of 2 teenagers who married and never should have stayed together, much less prospered in their marriage.  God changes people and Kevin and I are very clear evidence of that truth.  God changed us, then gave us wisdom, grace and mercy to break the chains from our families of origin and instead raise our 3 children in a healthy environment.  Our family was very open and very real.  And now we still like each other.  Our family was a place where you could be accepted and loved unconditionally.  God gives us the chance to love our kids the way He loves us.  And now our kids are putting that into practice in their families.  We have a heritage of grace and mercy.

3) My friends.  I believe we need 3 kinds of friends in our lives: those who need us more than we need them, those who we need more than they need us, and those where there is equal give and take.  The first teaches us to give, the second teaches us to receive and the third teaches us give and take.  All 3 are needed for healthy lives.  Sometimes friends become our chosen family and we have so much to thank God for when He gives us those kinds of friends.

If I didn't have long to live, it would no longer matter how big my house was or how classy my clothes or which car I drove.  It would only matter that I could have the chance to tell my family and friends that I love them.  And then I pray that my last words will be to tell God how much I love Him.

This is a good challenge.  How about you?  Answer this question for yourself and post it here or on your blog.  Your answers may surprise you!

Teaching again

First, the time spent with my friends last night went very, very well.  I give credit to the parents for wanting to do what's best, even when it's way outside their comfort zone.  We'll meet again in January to reassess.

I'm teaching again.  Not really a surprise, I guess.  I'm now teaching 5th and 6th grade Sunday School and I'm really enjoying it.  We're doing it like a pre-youth group so the kids can begin to be friends and connect with each other.  We're using this great curriculum called Grapple that's made for this age group and I am really enjoying it.

Grapple gives the kids their own place on the web.  So this morning I took pictures of 2 of my girls to post on our new website.  These girls are just so sweet.  They were thrilled to be able to have their own place on the web and took turns sending messages to each other.  It's nice to have a very small group.

I'm tired and sore, which is a good reminder that I'm not all the way healed from the surgery yet.  I think I'll take it easy this afternoon and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Mediation or running interference?

I've been invited to help mediate a family meeting tonight.  Not my family, but dear friends.    I'm so glad they trust me enough to ask me to help them navigate these unknown waters.  At the same time, I feel a lot more tentative than I used to about these things.  I used to be the first in line to go confront and deal with things and get them resolved.  I'm not like that as much now.  

What's changed?  Is this mellowing with age?  Am I losing some of my own analness?  Am I letting grace and mercy finally flow instead of turning it off and on at will?

One thing that hasn't changed is the knowledge that God is in control and I can do much more good as I keep that in mind.

Starting again

Well, I decided I'd actually give blogging another try.  I don't think I have all that much to say, but I sure do enjoy reading other's blogs about everyday things.  I can do everyday things too, I just hope I can make it interesting enough that folks will want to read it more than just once.

So, here I am.  I'm officially retired from the workforce and ministry.  I'm officially a full time Grammy.  It's been 4 years since I left the outside workforce and 1 year since I retired from ministry.  This year has been filled with trying to bring some kind of order around here.  

Now that the school year has begun, Josh is in morning kindergarten and Julia is in Pre-K on Tues, Wed, and Thurs.  Ally and I have those mornings to ourselves.

I'm not into the new swing of things yet because last week I had unexpected gallbladder surgery.  I had 2 gallbladder attacks in 1 week.  Not pleasant.  The sonogram showed 'more gallstones than could be counted'.  Not pleasant.  Surgery was scheduled for the next day.  Very quick and the surgery itself was in  at 7am and home by 2pm.  However, it was still surgery and I am now missing one of my organs so I've been slowly getting my energy back this week.  It's not as fast as it used to be.  However, I do believe that was the last of my expendable organs.  I'm surprised there isn't an echo when the doc listens to my heartbeat 'cuz it's kinda empty in there these days!

One thing I love about taking care of the grandkids is when I get to see them do something for the first time.  Today Ally (2) tattled on Julia for the first time.  She shyly came up to me and whispered that Julia pushed her.  She had a very impish look on her face.  She'd seen Julia tattle and decided she wanted to do it too.  I told her, 'thanks for telling me, Ally' and she grinned and ran back to the playroom, perfectly content that she'd done something just like Julia!  

At lunch she announced, "I love Julia!" and threw her arms around Julia's neck and squeezed her until their cheeks met, both faces with sweet, sweet smiles.  That was a definite flashback moment to all the times Kylene did the same thing with her friends.  

Life is sweet when it's flavored with granddaughters.