Dive

A new year and new challenges...
Our Pastor told us at church that he was going to challenge us to read through the Bible in a year and have accountability as part of our church family.
I thought, "I would like to finally make it through the whole thing."  Then, I left for Christmas in Kansas.
We didn't get back till after the new year.  So, I purchased a Woman's Guide to reading the Bible in a Year in a little bookstore in Lawrence.
THEN I returned home to discover in my stack of mail the reading schedule for church...  The church schedule is not the same as the book, but I already committed to the book with my BF.  SO, I'm doing the book and my church family is doing something different.
As I read, I am in chapter 30 of Genesis, I find myself reflecting on the "downward spiral of our culture."  And, thinking, "REALLY!  Did you see the mess Abraham and Jacob had going?"
I was, right before I realized I could be participating in 5 minute Fridays, reading where Leah says, "God has rewarded me for letting my husband sleep with my maid."  Which, just blows my mind.  Poor lady.
I do wonder if we will get God's commentary on our stupidity when we get to heaven.  And if Leah, Rachael, and others will be there.  Their husband is one of the fathers of our faith and in the hall of fame in Hebrews.  But, what about the wives?

Opportunity

Opportunity...
I'm thankful for my delayed opportunity to be here in this new year.  I had been disappointed when 5 Minute Fridays wrapped up for the year.  Then, in the hub-bub of the new year and with all the activities that usually occur in my week not starting back up yet, I TOTALLY spaced 5 Minute Fridays!  So, here I am, better late then never, joining in on the fun.
I had the opportunity as I was wrapping up 2012 to go to counseling with my mother-in-law.  Our last session was two Fridays before Christmas.  Although, I was, and so was my Pastor, under the impression that progress had been made, my mother-in-law apparently is/was not.  She got really upset at the end of the last session.  <sigh>
I don't know if it is because she is not a believer.  Or, she really thought is hadn't helped.  Or, it was just her mental illness having a mental illness moment.
The commercials that use to run about mental illness and how people start out with friends and loose all or most of them throughout the mental illness, I never really completely understood those commercials.  I am getting a better grip on them now.
And, it is sad.  It is sad to think that my mother-in-law, a woman pushing 70, is going to pass away some day and no one is going to miss her.  There isn't really going to be anyone to contact or a memorial service in need of being held...

Wonder

I am a doula.  So, logic says I should spend 5 minutes writing on the wonder of birth.
However, this a.m. I met with my husband's birth mom.  No, he is not adopted.  His birth mom decided she didn't want the role of wife when my husband was 4 and do to mental unstability on her part my husband was given to his dad.
Three, almost 4 years ago she moved to the midwest.  Where I am.  Where my husband is.  Where her grandchildren are.
We don't communicate well.  I stuffed and stuffed and stuffed for 12 years.  And, then, she told me she wanted to know why I kept her at arms length.  I asked if she was sure and she said yes.  So, I let her have it.
Now, 16-months later, I find it easier to speak more harshly to her than I am comfortable with.  She does not see it as yelling or even being overly harsh.
So, a few weeks ago we met with my Pastor.  We have met with him twice now.  At the end of our last meeting she asked if we could meet to, "make a plan."  So, this a.m. we met.  At Perkins for one hour.
I am still wondering what she wants from me us. 
She wants more of our time.  But what does that look like?  She wants nothing to do with anything religious we have going on.  Well, that eliminates a lot.  She wants to go to the boys things if it is appropriate.  Well, if she was taking them, yes, but since her mental health isn't stable it is not okay for her to go unaccompanied anywhere with her grand-kids.  So, no, there aren't many things she can go with them to without it being a little awkward.

Stay

Stay awake...
That is what I am doing right now.  I am not normally up at 6 a.m., but, I teach a cooking class at 10 a.m. on Friday mornings and today we are talking potatoes.  I want the kids to see that sweet potatoes do not have to be covered in butter, marshmallows, and brown sugar.  After all, they are SWEET potatoes.  So, I got up about an hour ago to put sweet potatoes in the crockpot with a little bit of water. 
According to the recipe, they cook on high for one hour and then low for 6-8.  Yes, I realize that means they won't be done, most likely, by the time I leave for class.  But, hopefully, done enough that the kids can at least taste them and/or I can put them in the microwave for a few minutes to finish them up.  I had several kids last week tell me they don't like sweet potatoes and have no plans of trying them.  We will see if that holds true.
We are, also, making cranberry salad.  So, there are cranberries diced up in my refrigerator in a cup of sugar.  Although, a cranberry salad was the kids idea, it will be interesting to see if they try it and like it.
As for my own children, they each tried a plain cranberry and my youngest had multiple.  (Can you see my sour face?)  I puckered on his behalf, but he enjoyed each one.

Stretch

Stretch take two...
So, as I pulled up today's post, I thought, "Hum!  I've responded to that word before."  In fact, it was the very first 5 Minute Friday I ever did a few seemingly very short months ago.
However, as I looked back on my first post on stretch, I was surprised that it was as recent as August!  Our Pastor has only been gone a VERY few months.  I was telling someone the other day I he had stepped down in June, oops.
Our church is working on moving on.
The pulpit committee is starting to look for a new Pastor.  It will be interesting as we head into a new year to see how their search plays out.
The Youth Pastor, who has taken over the role of Interim Pastor is the head of the pulpit committee's son.  His parents and grandparents are/were members of our church.  So, will he step in and become the new Pastor?  If he does, there is going to be both happy and sad people.
The happy people are the people who think it is his because of his family history.
The sad people are the people who think our Pastor stepping down should have been handled differently and are disappointed at the way he was pushed out to make room for the Youth Pastor to step in.
Either way, a new Pastor coming in or the Youth Pastor stepping up, it will be a stretch for our church of right around a 100 people, mostly senior saints and a few young families and singles.
It will be a stretch for me, as I am one of the ones in the sad group and really like our Youth Pastor as a youth pastor.

Quiet

Quiet is not something that often occurs in my world with Little Men.
However, as I tuck them in at night, I want to rush through their bedtime routines because once they are tucked in, I get to have my quiet time.  I go to my room, play on the computer for a bit to make sure they aren't going to come looking for me, and, then, I kneel by my side of the bed to pray before crawl into bed with a handful of chocolates to read my BSF notes for the week or to work on my lesson for the day.
I had a less than Christian moment with my husband's birth mom last week.  So, last nights quiet time was a little on the emotional side.  So many things that I read talk about how a Christian should interact with another Christian.  It seems few things speak to how a Christian should interact with a non-Christian.
I am to be loving toward her, I think, but often that looks like not talking because if I tell her my thoughts and then that is causing conflict and not being accepting of her choices.
However, in my silence, I stuff.  I stuff the frustration of her words and actions.  How she doesn't try to see things from my perspective.  How she is VERY materialistic and doesn't have the finances to be materialistic.
So, then, at some point, all that stuffing explodes out of me.  This time, it didn't come out nasty at her, but it didn't come out right either.  She told my mom that she believes I hate her and my whole family knows it.

Roots

The first thought: roots, as in family ties.  The second is: roots, as in a head of hair in need of a new do.  But, honestly, today, roots is the ties of those sisters that God didn't give you by blood but through the course of life.
I have roots in Oregon.  I went to visit my bestie.  Who moved to Oregon with her husband and girls a little over a year ago.  It was so nice to have the someone I love to laugh with even at things that are not really appropriate to laugh about.
She gets me.  We both grew-up Catholic.  We both had moms who had in-home day-cares.  We both are the oldest and have only brothers.  We both love children and have loved working with them are whole careers.  She lost her dad when she was in college.  I lost my uncle before I was born.  Both were hit when riding a bike (one a bicycle the other a motorcycle).  All four of our parents went to Northeast High School.  Our dads did not fit into the good guy crowd.  Her mom and my dad grew-up blocks apart.
Roots are friends in my hometown.  Roots are the friend I dropped a birthday gift off to today.  The one who would go for long walks with me and we would discuss fertility issues, being new moms, and many other things.
Roots are Deana, Sarah, Marcy, Tess, Mary, Angie, and Jessi.  All women that when needed are there to listen, scold, hug, and support.
These are my sisters in Christ.  They are each loved deeply.  God might not have given me sisters biologically, but He more than made up for it in the amazing sisters I have met since I started walking with him almost 13 years ago.