Change is coming!

Beginning January 1, I will be consolidating all three of my blogs into one at melanishock.blogspot.com.

All previous posts from eatthisbooklogos.blogspot.com will now be available at melanishock.blogspot.com.  You will also find all previous posts from questmiles.blogspot.com as well as theparsonshouse.blogspot.com.

If you are a follower on any of these three blogs, please go to melanishock.blogspot.com and follow us there.  We want to continue to be able to continue to communicate with you!

The past five years have brought numerous changes and advances in technology.  Beginning in 2015, we will be expanding our web presence in several different areas, including online Bible studies, webinars, free downloads, apps, etc.  We will also be attempting to make our website more useful and interactive for you.

Please sign up at melanishock.blogspot.com or follow me on Twitter @melanishock or @eatthisbook and we will bring you news of the changes as they happen!

© 2009-2014 by Melani Brady Shock

it's officially the holidays

The puzzle is out.

thankful...

...for the Clouds, the Rain, the Gloomy Days...

...the Busyness, the Frantic, the Mundane and Boring (whoever even HEARD of that last word?!!)...

...the seasons of Sickness and Sadness and Sinking...

...for Fitbit and MyFitnessPal and the new Blogger app...

...for a God who understands that I am human and because of Lack of Rest, too much Fast Food, and Midlife, I sometimes lose sight of the Big Picture and stomp around grumbling about Details of the Mission.  And He loves me and doesn't make me feel bad at all when I Repent.

...for a Fireplace on Cold Winter nights.

...for my Crockpot.

...for the Parson, the Kids and Dog, the Brother and Sister-in-Law and Mother. And the Homeplace.

...for 2013. 

don't EVEN try

I am back in the United States for the rest of 2012 and the amount of closet clean-out, drawer straightening, and organization that is happening would boggle the most OCD of minds.

Don't EVEN try to stop me.

Black

The Parson, the Good Wife, the Parson's Son, and the Parson's Daughter have all donned their Blackest of Black.

Death has come to our hometown.  A few years back, we bought Emma Watson's old place and fixed it up.  Since we are all from Mayberry, we needed a place to stay when we go back.

Life will never be the same now that Andy is gone.

this life we lead

It's been 14 months.  Fourteen long, weary, battle-strewn, hot, heavy, pressure-filled months.

A lifetime.  Grief, anger, pain, despair, loneliness, victory, joy, pressure, new seasons, new vistas, new dreams...death of unfulfilled goals, white flags of surrender, reality of defeat...these months have not been boring.

Fourteen months without even one day away that was not filled with ministry responsibilities.

14. Fourteen. Ten + Four.  14 x 31 = 434 days.

Even God rested for a Day after he had worked 6.

So.  The Parson and I decided about 3 weeks ago to call a Halt to the Madness.  All the flying and the running to and fro has netted us quite a goodly sum of Award Miles for airline travel and we could actually take off for Nepal with free tickets if we had a hankering to spend the night in Nepal.

So, we wiped the calendar clean.  With bleach.  And told everybody, "Don't call us, We'll call you."  And secured the tickets and reserved the 4-Wheel Drive and found the perfect Hideaway House in a cool place far, far away from the Swamp.

We leave Monday morning!  At 8:30 a.m.!  Whoop!  Don't call us, We'll call you.

Even Jesus rowed to the other side of the lake to get away from the press--the crowds--the noise that was bombarding His brain...it's Biblical, these days away.  Yes, indeed.

The Phone Call came this morning.  A Dear Friend of over 40 years passed away during the night.  A gathering of friends and acquaintances who are not church-goers (and most of whom we have not seen for over 20 years) but have been Dear Friends for a lifetime will be gathering to celebrate her life and bid her farewell.

On Monday.  At 11:00 a.m.

And they have given The Parson the Honor of Preaching her funeral.

On Monday.  At 11:00 a.m.

And THAT, my dear readers, is a perfect example of this Life we Lead...

introversion at its finest...

My secret place.

If I told you where it was, I would have to kill you.

(just kidding.  sort of.)

new life

They were brave souls.

They came, they saw, they counted the cost, they built their nest.

They taught us How it's Done.

AWAKE!
Mama sat on the nest until they woke up.
She normally then leaves to go build another nest
and start another family, while Daddy stays and
takes care of the babies...

...which he was very faithful to do!  

They were constantly hungry. Daddy made sure he fed them well...

...but Mama also stayed around and kept watch.
There were a couple of big, furry animals that both Mama and Daddy
decided were not welcome.
There was also a human that kept taking pictures.
How rude.

Time to fly!
I wonder if Daddy and Mama were as sad about that
as I am about The Parson's Daughter who is about
to fly from the Homeplace...

His 3 siblings Flew and Conquered!
They joined Daddy and Mama high in the trees to start their own life.
But there was just something about Him that couldn't quite make it.
He flew a little, but didn't have what it took to Make His Own Way.
He went to be with Jesus in the nest His Mama made for him.

Matthew 10:29
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
and one of them shall not fall on the ground
without your Father.

...fear ye not therefore,
ye are of more value than many sparrows.

conversation

Roxy (the sassy one): Something's up. Whaddya think?

Maddie (the wise one): Most definitely. I know the signs.

Roxy: She's got that look on her face...

Maddie: I saw the suitcase come out of the closet.

Roxy: Oh no! Tell me you didn't! Was it the little one or the big one?

Maddie: The big one.

Roxy: The big one! I HATE it when she drags out the big one. That means she's going to be gone at least 5 days. Maybe 6.  Maybe even 2 weeks. Or MORE? This is gonna be rrruuufff!

Maddie: And she's not talking much. That means she's thinking. Which means she has a lot to do. We're in trouble.

Roxy: Stop her, you know you can, you're smart n all, you always know what to do, c'mon you have to stop her, let's chew holes in her suitcase, lay in front of the door and trip her and then she can't go, and help me, why are you just sitting there, we're gonna have to do something, we will be so alone for God only knows how long, and this just isn't right, oh somebody help...

Maddie: I have another idea. Let's just get right in front of her face and stare at her all sad-like and then maybe she will change her mind...

Parson's Wife: "Hello? Yes, I'm calling to cancel my flight..."

hacuna matata

It's really a terrible place to build a nest.

It's in the top of the ficus tree (which is not being tended and looks like it has been on a 40-day fast).  The tree is on the patio, right outside the Bedroom Door.  There is Coming and Going at all hours of the Day and Night because the Golden and the Schnauzer count it a badge of honor to see who can ask to get in and get out the most times in one day.

But the ficus is where Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal chose to establish the homestead.

They worked for two days on the nest.  I'm assuming there is a Hotel in the pecan tree or perhaps the fig tree because I would hear them talking to each other while on Break and when they weren't working.

When the Babies come, there will need to be Much Prayer go up, because the Golden has been known to Lose her Religion and fall off the wagon when it comes to Baby Birds.  They are just too much of a Temptation.

But, regardless...the Nest is there.  And Mrs. Cardinal just blinks at me in a bored sort of way when I walk right up to it and stare her in the eye.

She must go to Poombah and Timone's church.  And she has not yet experienced the fact that the Golden and the Schnauzer are as Roaring Lions, seeking...

sanctuary...

It hangs by the coffee pot. I say a thankful prayer every morning.

has it really been that long?

Well, my.

I have aged another year since the last post!

My dogs have aged, my kids have aged, my house has fallen into another year's disrepair, the Parson has aged...

There is another crack in the pool, and the front flower beds are looking a little seedy.  The dust is in the cracks of the handles of the flower pots. Why has nobody fixed that? I sneeze when I enter the laundry room.  Every time. Is there not a Cause? Does nobody care?

The furniture is even still arranged the same way! Well, that does it! That's the final straw! Something has to give!!!

The Golden speaks for us all:

i am rich

And that assessment is not in comparison to anybody.  I just am.  Period.

I have one brother whom I adore. Always have. After staying single for 40 years, he got married about four years age to the one who was born to be in our family.

My dad died 18 years ago and my mom has since devoted her life to my brother and me and my family.

We're tight.

But getting married and building a home and raising a family and pastoring a church and homeschooling and traveling extensively take an amazing amount of time and energy and many times our connections are limited to once a month suppers or days where it's just phone conversations.  My mom lives 8/10s of a mile from my house and my brother only lives about 3 miles, but we can go days...weeks?...without seeing each other.

That is just flat out wrong.

So, Mardi Gras gave my brother a day off this past Tuesday and he gifted it to my mom and me.  Just the three of us.  From can until can't, doing what we wanted, rambling around the countryside.

A dear friend on Facebook knows us all too well and asked what we talked about all day.  As I typed my response to her, I was reminded again that few people experience this much love in their life and I am grateful.

My response:

Ha!  I KNEW you wanted to come! :-)


We talked about "Radical" (Kenny's reading that) and "Slave" (I just finished) and "Splashdown" (John Wolfram's book).


And we talked about heaven and then we talked about where the dead are.  Lots of opinion on that one.


Then we talked about how dead outlet malls are getting and how stupid Mardi Gras is and how thankful we are we were doing what we were doing. (several times).


Then we looked for the old Indian Creek swimming hole and almost found it and then got out and took pics of a forgotten creek by Mom's old homeplace in the rain.

And they had Shipley's but I didn't cause I'm good.


And a couple of other things that I won't put on Facebook.


And then we had Mexican food, and rode the back roads all day til dark.


And it was a perfectly fabulous day.


I am rich.

If you have love in your life, you are rich.

the parson strikes again

He really is the coolest man.

The Hawaiian Christmas ornament from last year's 25th anniversary trip was broken first thing when decorating the tree this past year.

Valentine's Day, 2011 didn't even exist at theparsonshouse because we were all frantically trying to close the suitcases and hop on the plane at 4:30 am the next morning.

So...on our stopover in Honolulu...when I was exhausted and didn't even want to leave the room to eat...and The Parson's Son was in need of some jump/scream/yell/letoffsteam time...off they went to explore the Strip for awhile.

And when they came back, I got this.

Happy Valentine's Day 'cause your 25th Anniversary Hawaiian Christmas ornament was broken and I love you.

So there.  See if you can top that!

jet lag

Traveling overseas ain't no piece of cake!

Jet lag is a real deal.  If you have never traveled overseas (especially going west...that's by far the worst!) then you just have no way of knowing how debilitating it really can be.

It's not a sleep issue.  It's a body thing.  Like you are in the room, but your body's not.  And then, around mid-afternoon somebody pulls the plug and lets all the air out of your arms and legs and you are like those balloon people that fly around on car lots going every which way. (Which, by the way, I have never understood. And just HOW is that supposed to want to make me buy a car from your dealership?) But back to jet lag...

So, I know it's a real deal.  I've been up since 4:28 a.m., tired as all get out and wanting to say God woke me up to pray and I responded, but deep down I know that it's really jet lag and so do you.

So, it's a real deal.  BUT...you knew there was a but...I am sincerely amazed at how extensive and powerful jet lag really is.

For example:

Them:  Mom, could you iron my shirt?
Me:  Why me? Why don't you iron it?
Them:  I have jet lag.

Me: Did you feed the dogs?
Them:  No.
Me:  Why?
Them:  I have jet lag.

Me:  Where are my glasses?
Them:  I'll help you look.  Here they are!  In the refrigerator! Why did you put them there?
Me:  I have jet lag.

Me:  I've told you not to text in church.  Put the phone up.
Them:  But Mom...(whine)...I have jet lag!

Me: I'm freezing! Who turned the heat down in here?
Them:  I did.
Me:  Why?
Them:  I have jet lag.

Them:  This soup is too salty.
Me:  That's because I have jet lag.

Headlines in morning newspaper:
"Members of local minister's home found dead sitting in upright positions due to jet lag."

Uncomplicated

Sometimes, you just don't need a lot of words...

Merry Christmas, 2010!

So, about 150 cards are still stacked by my chair waiting to be addressed and sent...   Sad.

Merry Christmas from The Homeplace! 

(Consider yourself officially greeted.)

lonely walls wailing mournfully - STOP!

The sound has been echoing up and down the dark, cold streets.  Unidentifiable to many, those with keen sensitivity have recognized the mournful wails of lonely walls...walls accustomed to laughter, yelling, and loving have had only silence. Emptiness. Deserted despair.

The Homeplace has been a Ghostplace.  Dogs are despondent, grass is brown, dust is prevalent.  Plants are dying, smells are musty, pantry is bare.

Days, weeks too, even months.  2011 brought busyness, preoccupation, deadlines, and goodbyes.

But for a brief few days, all is well again. Washers are churning, tails are wagging, stoves are cooking, dust is flying.  Laughter has returned, jetlag has turned middle-of-the-night lights on, and focus is flying around.

It's good to be home.

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.