fourteen

I am really having trouble wrapping my brain around the concept of time.  

I really do believe that the 60 minutes I experienced in childhood were MUCH shorter than the 60 minutes we are experiencing in the 21st century.  

It was an eternity from birth to 14 for me.

But it was only about 2 years from birth to 14 for the parson's son.  

Fourteen.  The Boy is 14.  Crazy.  

But yesterday's birthday wasn't just any ole celebration.  For me, the mom, (the one who actually did all the work 14 years ago), the day was a poignant Thanksgiving Day brimming over with awe, gratefulness, and wonder. 

My status on Facebook read this way:  

Celebrating the birthday of my miracle son today. Survived birth with the umbilical cord wrapped TWICE around his neck and tied in a square knot, lives full and big even without part of his immune system, and totally thrives in life! 14 years of God's protection and mercy. I'm one grateful mom.

His journey has been anything but easy.  But his challenges changed the gear mechanism of our home.  And that, in turn, created a new environment...a better environment...a more purposeful environment.  As a result, we are all much better people.

We learned that nothing in life is guaranteed and that, in order to fulfill our destiny, each day must be lived with laser-sharp clarity and focused intention.   

And, in return, we received the privilege of sharing life with a wonderful, funny, kind, brilliant, old soul who consistently amazes us with his junior-high edition of wise intuition. 

I love him fiercely.

the un-decorator

Look, Mom!
 Look what I found on the Christmas tree!
You were so kind to get me a toy that I could chew up and ruin.
You really shouldn't have.....

What in the world do you mean?
This tag doesn't say, "To Roxy?"
Of all the nerve!
I am so hurt.

black friday

The Parson's Daughter is crazy.

She makes about $2 per day and decides to go Save Money by staying up all night and doing the Black Friday shopping thing in order to Wisely Spend her Christmas shopping money.

She ends up Saving Money on stuff that nobody needs or wants, the only thing that lasts out of her shopping experience is the Nasty Cold that she gets while shopping in the pre-dawn rain, and she winds up Cranky and Disgruntled.

But far be it from her to ever consider NOT shopping before dawn on Black Friday.

No, indeed!

There is a twisted sort of Heroism and Inflated Self Worth that envelopes my Black Friday Shopping Daughter.  She has braved the weather and the crazies and has Survived.  She has Saved Money.  (It is totally irrelevant that she will only use her purchases one time before shoving them under the bed, in the closet, or on another poor soul who thinks they need It.  It is also totally irrelevant that if her purchase is given as a gift, it is likely not really even wanted by the recipient.)

I love my Daughter and cherish every opportunity I have to be with her and make memories.  But let it be known that there is a Line I will not Cross.

There is No Way I'm ever gonna do that Black Friday shopping thing.

You can write that down in your Little Black Book.

and melani begat kendra

of all the haunting moments

of motherhood, 

few rank

with hearing your own words

come out of

your daughter's mouth.

~victoria secunda

peace

peace.

it does not mean to be in a place

where there is no noise, trouble

or hard work.  it means to be in

the midst of those things and still

be calm in your heart.

(unknown. taken from a catalog cover)

Where have I been?

I do not know.

But it obviously hasn't been on theparsonshouse blog.  Couldn't believe it when I realized I had not posted on here in 2 months.  Time is Flying.  Literally.  It has to be.

So. . .since I haven't had time to get really Crafty with my Words, I will just reassure that I still have an abundance of them rolling around in my head and occasionally flooding out of my mouth and hopefully will get them to this site in the next few days.

I mean, don't hold your breath or anything.  They probably won't rock your world.  The Parsons House has been a bit quiet lately due to the fact that when the Inhabitants enter through the back door, they immediately fall in a heap until it is time to rush back out the door to attend to another Duty and Function.

She's Twenty!

The Parson's Daughter is now Twenty. Today. That's freaky.

Pardon me for reminiscing, but I happen to remember July 10, 1990 pretty vividly.  It was a very long night the night before and a very long day.  Eighteen hours of pretty intense labor if you want me to be specific. The doctor sort of played it out her way because she wanted to get in a full day's work.  Tweren't pleasant, no indeed.  I never went back to that doctor and still don't care for her very much.

She arrived weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 19 inches long.  She had my nose and my mouth.  She has since got her own.

She's twenty.

She's beautiful and smart, gifted and passionate. She loves God, kids, and the Philippines. She doesn't keep her room clean all the time, but that's okay. She will one day. I didn't keep it clean all the time when it was my room, either...

She is so funny. She can do Madea like nobody's business.  She makes us all laugh so hard.

She can get in a bad mood now and then, but just show me somebody who doesn't! Now come on!

She is still searching about for her future, but if it plays off of her past, she's in good shape.  She has learned how to smile when she's freaking out inside.  She has learned how to love those who do her wrong and hold her head up and know that God will take care of it and she doesn't have to.  Even at twenty, she has learned that time usually brings everything out and she doesn't have to fight to be heard or to tell her side.

She has learned the meaning of PK all by herself and she's making it a beautiful picture.

Scuse me for bragging, but it's my blog and my daughter, so I guess I can.

She's Twenty.

I couldn't have asked for a better one if I would have hand-picked her myself.

Happy Birthday to my roofus!

So, the Joke's on ME!

If you haven't read the blog post below about Fundraiser Roses, scroll down and do so now.  You must read that one before you read this one.

(pause while reader scrolls down and reads previous post)

Okay.  So.  You read it?  Good.

Well, here is Part Two of this Fine Little Saga.

The Parson arrives home yesterday afternoon from a Long Day of Trials, Tribulations, Weddings, Stalled Building Projects, Disgruntled Dear Ones, and Glorious Ministry.

I immediately tell him how the Fundraiser Roses lifted my spirits and thank him for being the Kind, Wonderful, Thoughtful man that he is and how Glad I am that God let me marry him and Roses are Roses regardless of their Source.

He looked at me a bit funny and wanted to know what I was talking about.

I showed him the flowers and the little fund raiser card with the words "Love you. Terry"

He didn't do it.  Said that the Church supported that particular project and the office must have bought the flowers and signed his name to it.

No wonder the fine elderly gentleman had the Cheshire Cat grin.

I'm not quite sure what to say now.

In Praise of Fundraiser Roses. . .

About 4-5 years ago, the Parson entered the house one afternoon with an armful of beautiful Red Roses.  I (being the sweet, loving, soft-spoken person that I am) looked over my shoulder from the Boiling Pot on the Stove and said, "Oh hey.  What Fundraiser did those come from?"

Now before you go off on a Tangent in your mind about how Ungrateful the Good Wife is, let me explain.  We had been married about 20 years at the time and NEVER--not ONE TIME--had the Parson given the Good Wife any flowers.  (Which was fine, because the Good Wife said she would rather him spend that Hard Earned Money on something that wouldn't die in 4 days, anyway.)

But anyway, this was the One Time that he not only was thinking of how much he Loved me, but he didn't even get them from the Grocery Store.  He had actually gone to the Florist and had them arranged in a beautiful vase.

He was quite Offended, and I felt really Bad.

This morning, quite early, there was a knock on my Front Door.  It was an elderly gentleman from our church with a Big Smile looking like the Cat that just ate the Canary, holding out a bouquet of one dozen Pink Roses.  He handed me the card, (which described the Fund Raiser), but the bottom said, "Love you.  Terry."

I decided right then and there that Fundraiser Roses are quite lovely and carry just as Powerful a Punch as Roses from any other Source.  The elderly gentleman's Cheshire Cat Smile didn't hurt.  And the "Love You" message from Terry didn't hurt, either.  And I'm sure the Money probably went to a Very Good Cause.

Yep, it's a really Pretty Day here at The Parson's House. (Soggy foundation and all!)

Calamity Strikes!

Oh help us Lord Above!

The Parson and his Good Wife received Very Bad News this afternoon.

The sound of running water that has been faintly entering their ears the past 3-4 weeks (who counts when you are In and Out and Bustling About?) has been the sound of a broken water pipe UNDERNEATH the Parson's House foundation!

Due to a multitude of other reasons which I did not hear because I Covered My Ears, all of the plumbing within the Parsons' Brick House on a Slab Foundation must be Replaced.

WOE IS ME!

The Plumber (who is a Holy Ghost filled member of the Parson's Congregation, Thank the Lord!) will be here at 7:30 Monday morning to commence cutting Holes in Walls and Ceilings.

The Prayers of all the Saints are now Coveted and will be Most Appreciated!

Josh McDowell's Family Devotions

I recently ordered Josh McDowell's Family Devotions to see if it would be a good devotional for our daily SFR (Shock Family Revival).  I found it to be a very good devotional, even though it is not exactly suited for the life stage the Parson's House is in at this point.

It would be a Very good devotional for families with elementary and pre-teen age children.

I am including an excerpt below from today's reading so that you can get an idea:


Don't Be Devoured -- March 11.  (Read 1 Peter 5:8-11)  "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (NIV)

"She looks terrible!" Rachel said.  She sat on the couch, watching a television report of the arrest of a famous music star.

"Who looks terrible?" Josh, her little brother, asked.

She pointed at the television.  "That's Tawny Morrison, the lead singer of Toe Jam."

"Where are the police taking her?" Josh asked.

"She was in a car wreck," Rachel explained, "and they found out that she was on drugs, so they arrested her.  I can't believe how terrible she looks.  I would be so humiliated."  Then Rachel got an idea.  She and her family had been talking a lot about right and wrong.  She pointed the remote control at the television and turned the volume down.  Then she turned to Josh.

"See how Tawny Morrison looks there?" she asked, pointing at the singer's disheveled image on the screen. Josh nodded.  "She doesn't look very happy, does she?"

Josh shook his head.

"See, Josh, Tawny Morrison is a really good singer, and she's really pretty," Rachel started.

"She looks ugle now," Josh interjected.

Rachel tried not to smile.  "Yeah, she does in that picture.  But that's what can happen when we don't pay attention to God's commands.  See, Tawny Morrison would probably never go out of the house looking like that--"

"She's a mess," Josh said, starting to enjoy the conversation.

"Yeah, and she messed up her car and got herself in trouble, and might even have hurt somebody--all because she got messed up on drugs."

"I don't EVER want to use drugs," Josh said seriously.

"Good, Joshie," she said.  "But it's not just drugs.  People can lose control and get messed up a lot of ways--with drugs, alcohol, food, lots of things.  That's why God wants us to be self-controlled.  Because it'll protect us from stuff like that."

Josh crawled up onto the couch and said,"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Rachel said proudly, pleased that her brother wanted to know more.

"Can we watch cartoons now?" Josh asked.

TO DISCUSS:  The lack of self-control can lead to all types of overindulgence and excesses.  Obedience to God's commands to "be self-controlled" can not only protect us from those excesses, but also provide greater enjoyment of such things as recreation, music art, food, health, and so on.  How has self-control protected you in the past?  How can self-control protect you and provide for you in the future?

2010-Year of the Book!

Okay, so I'm on a Book Kick this year.  A MAJOR Book Kick!

I've always been a reader, but the past several years absolutely Stole my Reading Time.  I became Lost in a Maze of Doing, Solving, Becoming, and Cleaning The Kitchen.

My one Big Resolution for 2010 was to make it the Year of the Book and restore Reading to my Life.  It has been very inconvenient, but it is happening.  And I am finding a part of me that I didn't even realize was Shriveled is opening up and Drinking In the Wonders of the Written Word.

So just get ready! I'm going to be throwing Book Titles your way all year!

Ish. . .

Creativity is in full bloom at The Parson's House and Ideas are Flowing Freely from Outer Wall to Outer Wall.  All of life progresses in Seasons, and this is a Season of Dreaming, Pursuing, and Declaring.  The four Humans who abide here have all been Bit by the Bug.  (It's about time. The Drought of Drudgery had quite overstayed its welcome.)

In the middle of all the wonderful ingenious, inspired, innovative inspirations that have been swirling through the atmosphere, it occurred to The Good Wife that we were all setting the Bar a little bit too high in some areas and, consequently, were beginning to Stifle the Good Ideas that weren't Great.  We were editing our thoughts before letting them out. And some Good Thoughts that had potential for Great Thoughts were being killed before they were ever allowed to be born.

Then, there appeared in our house a book called, "Ish."

A delightfully, freeing little book that has set our Feet to Dancing and our Hearts to Singing even if they are off-key.

Perfection is not the Goal in our World of Wonder.  Setting ourselves Free to Celebrate the Pursuit of Perfection is the Goal.  So, we aren't Perfect, but we're Perfect-ish.  Our days aren't Great, but they're Great-ish.

Ish.

It's the route that all people have to take from Start to Wonderful.

(You can purchase it just by clicking on the link to the left. A portion of the proceeds go to KingdomQuest Ministries/Philippines Missions.)

Thompson Chain RULES

Well, the Shock Family Revival is in full swing and The Parson's Son is emerging (oops!) as the Prime Time Evangelist!

Due to Eat This Book, the class that I (The Good Wife) have been teaching on how to study the Bible (which the ENTIRE household of the Parson is attending, INCLUDING the Parson), the Parson's Son declared that he could not live one more day without a KJV Thompson Chain Bible.  So, of course, we set out to buy him one.  After all, if your Son asks for Bread, you don't give him a Stone.  And if he asks for Thompson Chain, you don't tell him to just continue to use his Kiddie Version, cartoon-illustrated, New Living Translation.  You get him a Thompson Chain.

Once home with his brand-new, black leather, gold-embossed, KJV, Thompson Chain Bible, he immediately began to practice some of his new Bible Study Skills that he has been learning at Eat This Book.  And he immediately received insight into why none of us need to complain on this 40-day Daniel fast that we have now been on for 14 days.  He drew verses from Jeremiah and tied them into a passage in Esther, and lo and behold if that Boy didn't come up with some Really Good Stuff!

He said it was all because of his new Thompson Chain Bible.

And I said that if that was all it took we would buy Gold Plated ones for each young person in the youth group.

The Parson said that he has won the right to claim Chief Evangelist title for the rest of the duration of the Shock Family Revival.

Shock Family Revival!

The Parson's House is having Revival!

Well, we haven't really got to the Revive part yet, we're still just in the "darkest hour is just before the dawn" stage.

Three days ago, we began a 40-day sacrifice as a family.  We are all four fasting in some form (Daniel, no meat, etc.).  We met a few days before we began and talked about our goals and prayer requests for this fast and what we are praying to see in the Spirit.

As part of our fast, we are making a Special Effort to meet as a Family once each day for 15 minutes and share what we feel God has laid on our heart for the family that day.

The  Parson's Daughter immediately christened this time "Shock Family Revival" or "SFR" for short.

Bless Her Heart.

The first morning, we met at 8:00 a.m. Some were dressed and chirpy, others were bleary-eyed with bed-head.  It was a sight.  NO pictures.  Don't even ask.  But The Parson delivered a beautiful Word which kept us inspired the rest of the day. (I even posted about it on Facebook: "The high calling is never realized on the low road." Love that! It's from Terry Shock's twitter, but since he isn't on Facebook, I'm sharing it here. That was his thought to us in our family devotion this morning. I DO love a man that will speak such wisdom to the four of us in a family room..)


Yesterday was one of the Can Until Can't days, so everybody Rushed into the Family Room at 5 pm to hear Me (The Good Wife) deliver her word for the day.  It had a lot to do with Talents and Fulfilling Our Potential.  I do believe that it Ministered. . .


Today was another one of Those Days.  The Friday Schedule called for Hither and Yon, so Shock Family Revival (SFR) was scheduled for 7:45 a.m.  (In case you haven't figured it out, we have Rotating Evangelists--The Parson, The Good Wife, The Parson's Daughter, and The Parson's Son).  If you are good at interpreting patterns, you can tell who was the Evangelist scheduled for today's SFR.)


Unfortunately, today's Evangelist slept through the Revival service and we were left Bereft--not knowing what was what.  


What to do?  Well, a Quick Prayer for Safety, Blessings, and Thankfulness and we were off to School, Simulcasts, and Airports!


Tomorrow's is scheduled for 10 p.m. . . .

January Blessings

The Homeplace has had more than its share of Blessings this year already.


Due to canceled flights and long goodbys, one Monday Family Night in January was made much richer by the presence of several guests from different parts of the world who are helping to spread the Good News!

We ate, we laughed, we talked...and we listened.  I was thankful that our House had the privilege of extending hospitality to some of God's Family.  The stories, the inspiration, and the faith that flowed throughout the rooms created an energy of faith that has lasted several weeks.

Heaven will be a wonderful place.  Because when you mix us all together, the Family of God is a marvelous thing.

Perfection?

Although it's not a new revelation, every now and then I am surprised at the realization of how many people expect Perfection to ooze from The Parson's House.  It's okay.  We aren't in Crisis.  Our World is spinning normally and in control.  Nobody is mad at us that I know of.  But inadvertent Little Comments made blithely in passing give one a glimpse into this Realm of Thought Reality which does exist although we prefer not to think about it.

We DO strive to make every decision a Right Decision.

We DO strive to live lives as Godly Examples that are described within the Word.

We DO strive to make the right Call on Black and White and Gray (and Purple and Pink and Red).

We DO strive to love Everybody.

We DO try really, really hard to not get Tired or Hungry or Irritable.

But, since we have Two Teenagers and Two Middle Agers all co-inhabiting one dwelling and we are made of Flesh and Blood, that is not always possible.

So, yeah.  Perfection doesn't live here.  Although we HAVE extended the invitation. . .

More Snow!

...and this time it was a Hum Dinger!

It started with 24 hours of Sleet, then about 12 hours of Real Snow.

The People down here in Dixie were ecstatic. Roads closed, schools closed, businesses closed -- just about everything closed.

A Day of Celebration ensued complete with Soup, Smiles, Sledding, and Snow People.

The Parson's House turned into a Thomas Kincaid painting and the People Inside were content.

Happy New Year, 2010!

The Time of New Beginnings has arrived at The Parson's House!

Out with the Old, In with the New!

And my, my.  It takes a lot of Flinging and Flailing, Shining and Shaping, Cleaning and Clanging for New Beginnings to happen properly.  It's not enough to just put away the Christmas Decorations.  Oh no.  Here at The Parson's House, we always make it a practice of taking things just One Step Further.

Therefore, in the best interest of going Above and Beyond, we are not just putting away the red and green and bringing back the drab.  Absolutely not.  We aren't just vacuuming the glitter and sweeping up the berries.  We aren't just rolling up the Twinkly Lights and packing away the Plastic Mistletoe.  No indeed.

We are DISMANTLING the Parson's Son's bedroom and MOVING it across the hall after we have DRAGGED the tons of JUNK from the empty bedroom across the HALL and dispersed it to various and sundry Points of Charity and at the same time we are PULLING mountains of materialism from under FURNITURE and WASHING off dirt from said FURNITURE and THROWING AWAY piles of petrified toys, books, clothes, and unidentifiable objects which APPEAR in every imaginable CROOK and CORNER and PAINFULLY HAULING all of the MASSIVE AMOUNTS of STUFF from one point in this house that has suddenly grown quite large to another.

Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do with all thy might.  Even if it kills you.