Signs

What is it about us humans that makes us crave the out of the ordinary thing- the unusual arrow that unequivocally points to the direction that we should go? I get comfort from the little bits that seem like confirmations or affirmations that I am on the right track. Like when David and I were driving back from a law conference and I was pondering the promises that God makes to believers and a giant truck passed us with "Covenant Moving" plastered on the side like a heavenly banner. Or recently I was getting out of the mini van and looked down on the ground at a pamphlet that said-"I wait for the Lord" on the cover.

When we were in Kennebunkport I read the "Recent Storm Damage" sign on the beach over and over. "Help the healing dune grass", it admonished. I thought of the body of Christ and how it would be nice to have some kind of gentle urging for people going through hard situations. "Please keep back from rope". People in process of healing.

Beloved let us love one another.

Blog Tour: That's (Not Exactly) Amore by Tracey Bateman

Laini Sullivan is a somewhat unlikely heroine, but a thoroughly likable one none the less. For one thing, while not overweight, she has a healthy aversion to cruel workouts just for the sake of being thin. She also has an ability to create mouthwatering goodies that would put Little Red Ridinghood's grandma to shame.
After enduring an eight year career as an accountant, she is on the verge of completing a degree in interior design only to question if that is really her hearts desire (or gift). To complicate matters further, two gorgeous men are vying for her attention. One of them could be the man of her dreams and the other? Just another big bad wolf...
Tracey Bateman paints a believable yet humorous picture of the struggles a single (or married) woman can face in search of personal fulfillment in career and relationships.
This book will have you craving canolli and humming "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..."

All Through the Night- Blogger Tour

Award winning bestselling author Davis Bunn takes us on a wild ride (in a red Ferrari no less) in his action thriller All Through the Night. This was my first Davis Bunn read and as a John Grisham and James Patterson fan I am pleased to say that Mr.Bunn did not disappoint.

The hero, Wayne Grusza is a tough as nails special ops veteran with scars that go much further and deeper than than those acquired on the battlefield. He's tired of running from his pain but to even hope for a second chance at life and love seems like a moonshot. That is until he meets a group of senior citizens in need of a guy with his special skills and a lady with beauty equal to a modern day Ingrid Bergman in need of some healing of her own.
I thought it would be fun to imagine this bit from the book being narrated by Humphrey Bogart- so think Casablanca as you read the following:
"The voice was all burr and rough music, the words slanted at the edges like her eyes. Wayne thought it was silly getting a tingle in his gut, just hearing this woman finally speak. He saw in her gaze the message he had come to know all too well. The one that said, I'm not going to give you anything like what you want. Not now, not ever."

Pretty great huh?

Kennebunkport

"Recent Storm Damage
Help
The Healing Dune Grass
Please Stay Back From
Rope" -sign on Gooserocks Beach


We spent two weeks in Maine. My favorite place. The place I go back to in my head when I need an escape from life's uber-jazz.

I introduced my husband to my family and Maine at about the same time. I wanted to see if the boy from St.Louis would love what I loved. He did. So we bought a house on the beach and had five beautiful children and lived happily ever after.... okay, so we didn't buy the house on the beach, but everything else is true.

Thanks (and I do mean thanks) to very generous family members, we are able to travel to the beautiful Northeast for some life transforming R&R.

This is the Kennebunkport Routine:
Wake up. Husband and I sneak out of the house- not hard to do with 4 teenagers and one sleeping pre-teen.
Get coffee and a muffin in Cape Porpoise (Cape Porpoise???!!!) I love writing those words.
Park car at beach. Breathe deeply. Smell a beach rose. Watch bee roll in pollen of beach rose.
Eat blueberry muffin. Hold hands and walk with husband.
Pray.

That's the beginning of a perfect Kennebunkport day.

Fourth of July

"...the fireworks are hailing over little Eden tonight..."- Bruce Springsteen

I used to be cynical. I still have tendencies along those lines, but I'm much older and have come once again to the GO space on the Monopoly board. A place where I understand where people are coming from a little better. Cynical and critical for me went hand in hand. Heavy on the critical.
Judging people who made me feel insecure. Country club people who dressed their kids in matching red, white, and blue outfits on the fourth of July. People who got manicures. Rich people. Money seemed like the unreachable star. Something that you had to be beautiful, super smart and gifted, or know someone to aquire. If you belong to this group, happiness is a sure thing-right?
I don't subscribe to People magazine but I eagerly catch up on all the celeb gossip while in the dentists office. I really would have liked to have had some of Christie Brinkley's beauty(duh)but it sure hasn't brought her happiness. Love has not found Andy Hardy(an obscure reference that I picked up from Breakfast at Tiffany's) or Christie Brinkley. I'm not jazzed about it. It doesn't make me feel better about myself, but it does reinforce what I do know- there is only One source for true joy and it has nothing to do with personal beauty, talent, or money.
Oops, I've got to run... my kids in nonmatching outfits are waiting for me at the pool and I have no idea what I'm going to wear...

Happy Fourth of July!!!!

The Subject was Homeschooling

David and I were at the Lake for the annual Trial Attorney's conference with four of the kiddos this past weekend. David is one of their two republican lobbyists. It would seem that democrats are the only ones who care about the civil justice system. I have always believed in personal responsibility and that the wronged should be compensated for damages. After all, fair's fair. Right?

So, when we arrive as part of the extreme minority we are given the red-carpet treatment, the sea parts and we are joyfully welcomed into the fold. Okay, so part of me lives in Dreamland... It's actually more like being a Cardinal's fan at Wrigley Field. Both Card's and Cub's fans love the game, but the different uniforms keep you from becoming one with the majority in the stadium. And you're really careful about how loudly you cheer if you're smart.
I try to be smart.

Sometimes I get blindsided. I think I'm in the kissing booth at the carnival and instead find myself dodging pies in the face. We were having dinner with a Missouri Supreme Court judge and a former president of the trial attorney organization and their wives when the subject of homeschooling came up. I'm usually pretty chipper about it. My kids are decent human beings, normal on every level and above average on some. They are usually delightful company. If you are around your kids as much as I am around mine you know that they need to be delightful.

I was asked the usual questions: How do they get socialized? Often my kids get asked this one directly and my daughter Elsa is tempted to say "well how do YOU make friends?", but she's too polite so she dutifully lists some of her activities which involve other people.
What about college? I'm surprised that people can find the time to worry about my children getting into a good school, but here's the answer: Homeschoolers are resourceful, we find ways....

I tried to be lighthearted, articulate and funny, but I actually heard myself say at one point in the conversation,"we haven't played a lot of team sports- so sue me". Yup, I was articulate alright.

To be fair, because that's what I am.... I'm sure they weren't meaning to put me on the witness stand. They were just using me to express their opinion as professionals.

The defense rests.

Peace

I woke up at 2:20 a.m. Wide awake. So I did all of the usual things. I prayed, quoted scripture-"he gives his beloved sleep...", listened for mice (don't ask), listened to my husband snoring softly (rather), and took deep yoga breaths- inhale for three counts, exhale for six or was it inhale for four counts, exhale for eight?? Eventually I slept. I knew I would. I know that worry and anxiety will try to bully their way into my life, demanding to be entertained. Yes, I could be the new Anxiety and Worry Idol. Woohoo!!
I don't think so...

Because this is reality-"...and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." - Philippians 4:7

I'm going to sleep on it.