9. March 2010 by imoomie.

As I drove through the neighborhood today…

I passed a friend strolling along with her young daughter and canine friend.  It is almost up to 70 degrees here today (big YAY), and the rays of sunshine are therapeutic and glorious and ohhhh, so welcome.

My friend’s daughter, a redheaded cutie, had tipped over on her itty-bitty bike and her mama was leaning over, to right her little one’s world.  With that accomplished they continued on their merry way.

Boy, I have to say, it took me back…the meandering, the discovering, the moving.  Life seemed simple then.  I had just come from working on Latin with my teenage daughter…in the house, at the table, pounding through the workload.

Fast forward with me…what do you think I will say when I refer to this moment 10 years from now, when I no longer have a student at my table?

That those were exciting times, and I was extremely fortunate to be with them as we searched for knowledge, problem solved and built their academic foundation.  I’ll remember how rewarding it was when the light bulb went on, and I’ll fondly recall the giggle that came when they conquered a workload they thought was allusive. 

And, I can almost bank on the words…life was so simple then,  escaping from my lips as I reminisce.

Emily is putting it into perspective for us over at -

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2. March 2010 by imoomie.

As I approached my nightstand…

my eyes fell upon the scattered rocks, feathers, shriveled up dandelions and little hand scrawled notes that lay there. 

With the mommy mode of clean up-pick up, programmed in my head, my hands reached out to gather it together so that I could dust. 

Suddenly, I became overwhelmed as I felt God open my eyes, and still my heart.

These are your children’s offerings of love.  Each one was brought to you because you are their mom, you are special and to them, there is none like you.

 They want you to know.

In that moment, I relished the gifts, like sunshine on my face…allowing the warmth of their love to permeate my heart.

Emily at ChattingattheSky is reminding us to remember our gifts…

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23. February 2010 by imoomie.

My older brother often says to me…

if we know anything for sure it is that things are going to change.  We may have our outlines, our mental notes, our plans and as our days march along one by one we grasp more internally why the senior saints are prone to the saying, “The Lord willing, I will do such and such tomorrow.”

This weekend while at an all day horse show, I experienced one of those blips of milliseconds where what your eyes are seeing unfold in front of you and what your brain can accept as real, hang in the balance.

Towards the end of the day while the hunter jumper portion of the show was in progress, (this means the riders were jumping their horses over fences), one rider’s plans changed abruptly.

She was having a great run of it, and had just placed second in her class when she approached the railing after the class and told her trainer that she thought she was done for the day.  That she felt her horse was done and that things were going to start to fall apart.

I stood there as her trainer and friends (and me) said something to the effect of …what do you mean, your doing great out there.  You just placed second. 

This is painful, but I even joked with her friend that if she did drop the class my daughter would move up a spot, so maybe I shouldn’t be trying to talk her into staying.  There was not one serious bone in my body.  I am not competitive…but still I  said it.

Now, I just want to take a moment to say that this story does not end in tragedy, but I was reminded of a few important, even crucial life lessons.  Keep reading and I will tell you what I mean.

After confering with her trainer she entered her next class and finished her course in a beautiful fashion, she proceeded to make the last circle before you halt.  This denotes that you have finished.  As she rounded this circle, in a blink of an eye, her horse lost his footing and fell onto his side.  When her horse stood up and she still had the reins in her hand, everyone hollered, just let go, just let go…then we realized that she was unconscious.

It felt like she was unconscious, forever, really it did.  Her body was twisted in an awkward position, which was so unnerving, but we found out later that it wasn’t due to injury but because when she passed out she became limp like a rag doll.

So walk with me on this, what do you think went through my head in those moments?  Life changes so quickly, two seconds ago, she was at the top of her game.

God gives us instinct for a reason and sometimes we need to hear it louder than the voices here on earth.

My words, I was irresponsible in handing them out.  My words need to be few.  Who was I to convince her to continue?  Was my joke necessary or could I have regretted those words even longer than I already do?  I felt it burn in my being, as if I had slammed into a brick wall.  I felt laden with shame. 

God knows my heart, He knows I was kidding, He knew I did not mean harm but through this experience I will watch my words.  I will still plan, but I will be open to the truth that His plans are not mine.  I will not live in fear, but I will consider that I may not have all the time I think I do.  I pray that with His help, I will be better for this reminder and that I will grow in wisdom.

Over at Emily’s blog home where she is the most gracious of hostesses, we are sharing the lovely, the messy and the unexpected…

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16. February 2010 by imoomie.

I never really got…

the whole “Mom’s Taxi” saying I saw printed on license plate covers when my kid’s were younger.  Now that they are active and on the move (you know who’s moving them, right?) I have a newfound appreciation for the term.  By golly, I am fixin’ to bypass the license plate cover at this point and order full size magnetic panels for my van.

In days of old, I would have quiet time every day at 3pm.  During that time I would sit down with a cup of coffee, read a book or work on my bible study, perhaps treat myself to a nap. It was about taking a moment to breathe, think, process.  It just made me a better wife, mom and friend.

Since we have hit this season of movement, guess where I am everyday at 3pm?  Yep, driving, driving…driving.  It has been a difficult adjustment because a little part of me feels like the quiet moments I so enjoyed have been riped off .  Frankly, it just made me cranky.

With the New Year came the realization that I had reached a truce.  My attitude was shifting and over the winter break surprisingly,  I missed the peace that comes when I am driving. 

I have taken my quiet time to the car.  I take a cup of coffee, I enjoy time listening to my kids share what’s on their minds and after I drop them off, I turn on the radio and sing and worship. There is a sense of stillness, although the nap is out, for obvious reasons.

YES!  I am adaptable! It did take a little while though…

We’re sharing our truces with Emily over at…

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9. February 2010 by imoomie.

If you could see me now, you would see me as I am…

an expectant, fidgety, awkward, newbie blogger standing on the corner of blogger world wondering how or when I will make a friend.

I hear such lovely stories of friendship on these posts, I hear dialog volleyed back and forth with familiarity, warmth and loyalty and I stand quietly as if eavesdropping.

I see the hearts of beautiful humble women who support and encourage each other.

I involuntarily whisper…how.  How do these friendships develop?

It is so uncool, to say, hey…we have so much in common or I so get what you just said, I fear that it will be cliche and not received as genuine.

 I feel like a child, a kindergartner starting something new without footing and not sure where to land.  It would be so much easier if I could at least offer you a cookie from my lunch box.

I would honestly love to hear how it happens.  For me it is an elephant in the room and it is uncomfortable to ask, but frankly I don’t know where else to find the answer.

Although messy, I am unwrapping the my intangible with Emily over at -

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2. February 2010 by imoomie.

We spent 7 hours in the ER last night…

The call came at 6pm that our daughter, Hannah, had been kicked by a horse.   A high impact kick from a horse can be likened to a whack from a sledge hammer.   We loaded her up and off we went for x-rays.

Here is where thankful perspective comes in…

Badly bruised, but not broken. 

Hit on her thigh, not her head.

Surrounded by others, not working alone.

I would rather take a shaken, sore daughter to the ER and sit for 7 hours than endure 1 second of any of the “what if’s” that bounced around in my mind.

My husband, daughter and I were all together as we waited.  My daughter asked if one of us should have stayed home to care for the others.  Absolutely not, when one of us is hurt, we both go…that is how we roll in our family and for that I am grateful.

Thankful, simply thankful today…

Emily is sharing her thankful perspective today over at Tuesday’s Unwrapped.

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26. January 2010 by imoomie.

Over at ChattingattheSky.com where we gather for Tuesday’s Unwrapped,

Emily has asked the question…Am I embracing all today has to offer?

Well, funny she should ask, this has been a a thought in the forefront of my mind lately.  I know that it is possible for God has told us in His word. 

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Philipians 4:12(NIV)

When it comes to being discontent or content there exists at times a canyon in between the two attitudes in my heart. 

I seek to embrace all the day has to offer, unfortunately I don’t always know how to merge how I feel with how I could feel.  I generally see the good in a day and if the messy is before me I can extract some gem.  There is another aspect of how I view the world (or simply, my home), and that is through the lens of what needs to be changed, fixed or better organized to run more efficiently. 

I think God made me this way and in it’s prime moments this perspective can be helpful.  It is during the times that are the opposite of it’s prime moments that I look inward and find…yep, a canyon.

As I am writing this, walking, walking, thinking, writing…I come to a inviting bench on the windy path of this thought.  Why, I am unwrapping right here, before you (thanks for being here)…

I know that my Heavenly Father, the one who inspired the book of life, can fill up my unwanted canyon in a heartbeat.  He is the lifter of my soul and I believe that every good and perfect gift comes from Him. 

“So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.” James 1:17(MSG)

Do you know what I don’t have though?  Enough, sleep!  I think a lot of dread for the day comes from being extremely tired.  I am reaching for the exciting “this or that” in the future as a tool to propel me forward so I can keep moving and not fall asleep or worse drop into a coma right were I stand.

Sleep deprivation is not a game just for the parents of small children, parents of a house full of teens get to play too.  I could easily go on and on about my sleep patterns if I thought you would stay and listen, but here is the crux of what I am trying to say.

When my kids were little I dreamed of the day that they would grow up and sleep.   You can imagine my shock and dismay when here they are closer to adulthood than toddlerhood and it’s not turning out the way I expected. 

So, here is the bottom line, be content, be joyful…call a good day a gift, find a smile behind a scowl and hug on those you love, (or if it is your love language-make them a really yummy sandwich).  You don’t know that tomorrow will be more exciting, or easier or what you are expecting it to be.  

Now, this is a notion I can daily embrace and maybe just maybe when the canyon is gaping open in my heart. I will stop and see that the canyon is not only rocky, but also full of colorful splendor.

Hop on over to ChattingAtTheSky to see what others have to share…

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2. January 2010 by imoomie.

Guess where I’ve been???

My sister and her family were in PA for the holidays, so me and mine loaded up our car and headed on up.  The drive was serene, at least visually, if we could block out the sounds and attitudes of our offspring…the blanket of snow that covered the state of Virginia combined with the picture perfect farmhouses along the way was a sight to behold.

Some farmhouses beckoned to me to pull into the driveway, go on in and sit awhile.  While some clapboard cuties called to me from their wraparound porches…pack up, move and never go back.  Some long forgotten houses promised me a tour, a blast from the past, those were the most intriguing of all.

When you travel these valleys do you ever try to picture what they were like back in the day when neighbors were far and few and travel laborious.  What did it take to get from one side of the valley to the other, to clear the land.  Ayah, me neither…I just wondered if you daydreamed like this?

Our time in PA was priceless family fun, ice skating, games, baking, hiking, shopping and Cinnamon Dolce Lattes at Starbucks…the only thing that made parting bearable is that of all the crazy things we will meet up next week on the West Coast where our parents and brothers live.

We are only a zillion loads of laundry, a few packed suitcases and some airline mileage away from being together again.  A very fortunate way to start the new year.

So glad Emily is back early at ChattingattheSky.com

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15. December 2009 by imoomie.

What takes me home?  Why, it is time spent with my sister…

Due to distance, I don’t get to our parents home often (although I am going soon) but I do get to spend time with my sister and her family.  Each summer we travel back and forth to each other’s houses as much as we can squeeze in.

My sister and I were so different, in about every way growing up, but as adults, as mothers, we have a common thread that takes me home.  We share a reference point of what a home is and what it isn’t.

The times during the summer when we have the cousins together and we hang out and just be, are some of the highlights of the year for me.  I know in these visits we are creating memories for our children and as they grow and reflect back, these times will be amongst their recollection of family, of home.

As mom’s we have differences in our family sizes, it is almost comical when we prepare our meals during our visits.  My sister can’t comprehend the large amount of food I purchase any more than I can comprehend the smaller amount her family needs.  But when we come together in the kitchen it feels like home for many reasons…one being the fact that we were raised in a home that revolved around food, specifically sweets.  To this day we fight against the notion that dinner is a mere speed bump on our way to dessert!

I experience an easiness, an unspoken unity, a forever bond when I am with my sister that takes me home again to the days of our youth and propels me forward wrapped in the comfort of family.

Celebrating the treasures of home with Emily at Chattingatthe Sky.com

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8. December 2009 by imoomie.

Lately, I have had plenty to pray about…

There are things that are going on in my life and in the lives of those close to me that warrant specific and continuous prayer.  I fall asleep praying, I pray when I awake any time during the night, I pray before I get up, and I walk and pray during the day.

Here’s the deal though, I realized that my prayers are coming like rapid gun fire.  I am shooting my prayers to the heavens, da-da, da-da, da da da. I am like a frantic prayer warrior.  Today for the second time, because unfortunately the first time didn’t stick, I was gently reminded to sit still, and to be quiet for a minute.  I had to ask myself, if God did answer my prayers, if He did give me direction, how would I hear it over my own chattering?

I am meant to enter into conversation with God which means sometimes I talk and sometimes I listen.  So as the reminder was impressed upon me this morning, I tried to quiet myself down and to listen but I am telling you it is going to take effort.  As quick as I sat silent, I would start in again…da-da, da, da, da. 

Apparently, I have strayed away from the practice of being still and I am going to have to become purposeful if I am going to turn this around.  I need to commit to spending time on my knees, just listening.  I am confident God knows what it is I am needing.  I know I have relentlessly told Him the who, what, where and when. 

Goodness, I feel like a prayer toddler right now.

This week it’s the messy I am sharing with Emily at Chatting at the Sky…

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