Full Eclipse!

Heaven is His dwelling place... the earth His footstool and He rides on the wings of the wind!

What a strange cosmic event........a full lunar eclipse awaited Troy and me with Curtis and Susan tonight as we left "Evita".
I thought of the day....

we may get to move into our bedroom soon....yeah!

everyone in our family is well for the moment! yeah!

Things are good..... it may rain...AND yet this seems so trivial in light of other things....

this entire community gathered at the Buffalo Gap Baptist church to pray for a family...

Greg Knox!

There are some things I just cannot grasp in this world....

Why?

and then

there was a full lunar eclipse.

Only God is God. and I am thankful!

Balcony or Basement

(seems I wrote about something like this a while back, but after walking into an ICU ward at a hospital recently and after seeing results that words, and actions brought in life and death situations, I thought again about what we bring to each other in ourselves.)

Crazy thing is, we are who we are! I had someone tell me a while back... "don't EVER expect me to change, because I've done it this way for way too long!" I can't even remember what I was asking them to "change" (or if I was), but it must have been something that was an inherant part of this person. Isn't it cool how many different ones of us there are? Isn't it refreshing when how we are is recognized and okay because we are loved beyond our quirks? I read a couple of books LONG time ago by Joyce Landorf Heatherly. One was about "balcony people" and the other about "basement people" in our lives. The basement people are those who have a rather dour expression on the world and all that is in it. They are the people who insinuate things like "are you gonna go that way again?", "are you still whining about that?", "is that REALLY what you think would be right?", "who do you think you are?" , "what in the world ARE you thinking?", "what are you DOING (or why haven't you done this/that yet)?"; They criticize, find fault and generally drag people down to the basement with them. They don't see us, they see themselves and what our "us" is doing to their them... wierd huh?

The balcony folks on the other hand, will see who we are... their eyes are WIDE OPEN to the truth, and they love us just like we are. They are the cheerleaders, the encouragers the ones who are in the stands (or balconies) of our lives and say... it doesn't matter what I see here, I know the truth of who you are and I LIKE YOU! I don't expect you to be like me, and I am glad God placed you in my life just like you are! You are GOOD! I see you, and I like who you are! (even if you are a bit quirky and different and want to wear your hair like that, or find that loud music satisfying, or think about things way too much or too long, or always have to be doing something, or saying wierd things, or or or.... whatever the "ors" are) I will stand on the "wall" for you, even when you feel you can't. I LIKE YOU!
These are the people who will someday, maybe, have our permission to speak into our life. Maybe they are the people who we will trust to really look beyond and into our heart. (maybe they already do, and they are just waiting to let us know how wonderful they see us to be?!)
Maybe they are the ones who will be clear water reflections and tell us more about who we are. Tell us who they see, and free us to live beyond words that come from the accuser of the brethern. I'm so glad there are those of you who do that for me. Thank you! I cherish you more than you know. I am hoping for you today.... I am HOPING for you today and forever...

balcony people.

I believe God puts this gift in some parts of His body for just this purpose.

I am praying that those of you who have this gift will not be intimidated...

and will bring the sunshine into dark places, and that as you walk in,

shod with the gospel of peace.... chaos has no option but to retreat!

YEAH balcony people! love ya lots!!!!!!!!!

OOPS!!! I meant that post to be my first post on MY blog "I love my life." I guess this just goes to show I don't really understand this blogging stuff yet!

I do, I love my life, everybit of it. I wouldn't change any part of it. Why? Because this is what the Lord has given me. I know it. I love waking up every morning next to man I love, and to the sound of my seven month old making the new sounds she comes up with, as she learns all about this new life. I love waking up to my three-year-old "little man" saying "Mommy or Daddy where arrrrrrrre yoooooou?" It makes me smile. I love it that every morning my son wants to "put on his armor and fight the bad guys" I love it that the armor he puts on is the armor of His Jesus. I love it that the Lord gives us Wisdom and Revelation as we walk the Earth that is not our Home. It makes my spirit sing when I think of the abundant blessing my Lord has poured out on me. Who am I that He would lavish this on me? But, He has, and it is my responsibility to live this life I love with all the purpose He has for me. He has called me to be wife, mother, friend, witness, worshiper, and lover. I choose to hope for Him, to love through Him, and to Live in Him. Yes, I love my life, now I choose to live it in abundance.

Scarlett Hair: would I be like that?

This is Scarlett, she is my amazingly beautiful, incredibly intelligent, certified in search and rescue, overcoming cancer, best friend, registered white german sheperd dog! What a pedigree huh? and she's more.......she is the BIGGEST SHEDDER I've ever encountered!

I've just finished my daily routine of removing "Scarlett" from my carpets and every nook and cranny of the house. Yes, SHE IS EVERYWHERE!!! at least the hair she daily sheds is everywhere....little white balls of fluff, or big clumps of shiny white hair on my chairs or carpets. It seems I vacuum up an entire Scarlett every day! OOOOOOH sometimes I get so distressed with this task... telling people, "don't wear black, or you will get to take some of us home with you!"... keep chairs and beds covered with washable blankets so that they can be lifted when people come to visit. yes, you get the picture!

NOW... know this.... I LOVE MY DOG!!!! I WOULD NOT TRADE HER!!!

I was thinking as I did this daily task, I wonder if this is what God would want from me. NO, not that I be a shedder (you guys had better not be laughing about this!!!) ... but that I would be found wherever I went. That part of me would be left to designate my presence and the fact that I am who I am... or better I am Whose I am. When people were with me, that they would take a piece of me through their day, and more, that they'd be glad they'd been where I was.

The Bible suggests that prayers are fragrance, that we are a sweet fragrance.... have you ever walked in behind someone with too much cologne or perfume.... that is not sweet for me, but it is a reminder.... we leave a trail.....would that it would be a welcomed, sweet fragrance.. that would be remembered and even requested again and again.

Lord, let me leave parts of me that reveal the parts of You that others can see..... let me never forget that I leave something always, and help me leave "something" desireable! YOU! amen

Bless you each one today... and always.... be a shedder... a revealer of the LIGHT residing in us! hugging you right now! c :)

Politics and Presidents

Everywhere I go I hear... Hillary, McCain, Huckabee, or Obama... I must say "disappointment" is what I feel, but I must also say, I know WHO is ultimately in charge. I know what is required of me, and I know that I am proud to be an American. I think I am looking for a "hero" in a place that defines the word differently from what I do. As an "alien", I know that I am glad I am "legal"! does this sound like I am going back to that foundational question that I so often ask myself when things get chaotic.... "what do you know that you know that you know?"
Well, I know where my allegiance stands, and it is unshaken by anthing of this world! How do you feel about this election year... I'd love to hear :)

Happy 28th Birthday Ellena Kristin

Elly!!!!

I remember the day you were born! You readjusted our sense of order!

You were velvet stretched over the tiniest of frames... soft and tender with the most penetrating stare, even then... before your eyes were adjusted to this world. You'd already begun to see Heaven. You always brought chuckles with you (we won't go to the 2 year old stage when I called MHMR to check on MY sanity!)... you made us laugh with your view on the world and it's activities involving you. You were your sister's personal pupil in a classroom of makebelieve, you were REAL! (some things will never change!) You have always been and will always be

brilliant and shining among all the lights in our life.

We cherish you precious one, have a beautifully blessed and surprisingly silly fun day!

Happy birthday Ellena Krisitin Limbaugh Doran...

you still bring such a soft joy over my thoughts and into my life!

I love you immeasureably!

warriors "fight"?

My grandsons are 3 year old "warriors" with a weapon of some kind always in their hands! Even in my car, they will pick up their swords and announce, "Tahtee, I got the bad guys!" When I ask, "Where are they?", the enevitable answer is an incredulous... "right there!" (how ridiculous that I don't see, when it is ever so clear to them???) .. I have nothing to "fear" with little heroes,

Troy Randall and Stetson Justice here!

I recently got a newsletter from Graham Cooke (notice he is one of my favorite teachers), and the question he posed naturally tweaked my curiosity. "How do spiritual warriors fight the enemy?" GREAT RESPONSE he had! (no I am not Yoda! or "eloada" as KG used to call him) but if you'd like to read, go to the Logos and Rhema blog (Words) and read. not your typical sort of battle.

May we all know that we have nothing to fear when the true heart of warriors beats within and among us! Have a great weekend. May the peace of the Lord reign in all our hearts right now!

Aledo contributes :)

Once upon a time, I wanted a black and white longhorn cow. I searched all over the internet for this lovely cow. I found an amazing herd out of Oklahoma that had its roots in the original Texas Longhorn herd. I'd even talked on the phone to the lady who began this herd. I'd picked out the bull and the momma and I was just waiting to talk Troy into the procurement,

THEN,

we got a call from our favorited vet... he is Will's wonderful dad, and our wonderful friend. (isn't it just too cool that God put a vet in the family???? Guess He knew that with Ellena Kristin, He'd better have a close "fixer" for the animal "situations" that somehow ALWAYS manage to pop up in this family!)

back to the story. We got this call, and he told us of a herd of Longhorns near him that were being auctioned for unmentionable circumstances.... again, PEOPLE!!!! these animals were starving to death. He said there was one little black and white heifer (girl, for those of you like I, who are limited in our cow vocabulary) that was a bit wild, but pretty. (sounds like my kind of little girl)... anyway, my high dollar longhorn purchase went to the back burner and the rescue of this little orphan came to the front. We named her Aledo, and after much distress of her being too young to be "with child" (Jeff and Will, don't laugh), she brought us a little gift today...

The guys made fun of the bull we had her with, but he was sure colored pretty even if they thought he was a sissy bull (just because he was little and young!!) He was brown and white spotted and had beautiful long horns. Just what I wanted.
This is our new baby. Looks like Daddy bull was the dominate color...isn't it cute?
Baby cows think they can run really fast.... so here we go
then we slow down when the older babies are in the way. Notice my little orphan cow, Aledo isn't much bigger than the calf in front of her, but she did just fine having this little brown baby.
I think she still wonders... where did you come from??? well, maybe not? :)
But the baby is still learning who is mom and who is not... this black momma is the NOT MY MOMMA cow.
yep, that's her!
And this is a sure way to know! oh yes, I do think maybe we have another heifer! yeah... Jeff and Wibbie won't have to catch this one!
Glad this was easy, and glad she's so cute! Oh yes... quite appropriate that she was born the day before Randy's b'day! now... what to call her??