It's about Corn and Christianity!

3 years ago Chad and I moved our family to his grandfather's house in the country. We had spent several months renovating it and we finally moved in on a very wet, rainy day in October 2014. Before making this decision to move I had some reservations being a "wanna be city girl" about moving to the country. Being out of town surrounded by corn is a dream to many --- but I wasn't sure at first if it was for me. However I don't know if I could do it any other way now! I have also begun to look at things differently.... like farming and faith! 

Every other year we have a backyard surrounded by fields of corn and on the off years they are full of soybeans. But this is a corn year! I love the corn because it is beautiful to watch as it grows into its final product tall and strong. 

Out here in the country it is almost always windy to some degree. This summer has been particularly windy when the storms have blown through. After our last storm the corn was positioned sideways but not broken (thank goodness)! I watched in amazement as the corn began to teach me a wonderful lesson about my faith in God. 

As I watched the corn recover from that storm I began to see how we are like a stalk of corn. Many times storms of this life come along and try to break us completely taking the very life out of us. However check out how in these photos the corn didn't break because it strong and held fast by its deep roots! The corn is bent but not broken. Sometimes we get slightly bend out of shape by the storms of life but we hold fast to our roots in our faith and it holds us strong. 

Are you bent out of shape from the storm? Holding fast to your roots?

Next I noticed that the corn began to bend up towards the sun. We too, like the corn, reach towards our Father God in Heaven. When we look up to Him we begin to take new shape and rise up to a new creation (one that is not perfect but has character and strength)!

Turn your face to the Son. Let Him lift you up out of the storm. 

Last I noticed not all of the corn was able to stand on it's own. It was leaning on the other stalks of corn for support. Sometimes as we walk through storms of this life we need to lean on each other for support. That is where the church comes in. We are a family of faith -- there to support those in need. Even after someone has gone through the storm we need to help and support them as they re-calibrate their life and reach towards the Son. 

We need to support each other through the storms. 

Questions: 

• How have you been "bent out of shape" by the storms of this life? 
• Did you reach up towards your Heavenly Father? How did He help strengthen you and stand you back up on your feet again?
• Do you have a support system? Is it your church family? Your closest friends? Family? 

A Day to Honor All Mothers....

This coming Sunday we celebrate Mother's Day.... but not every mother celebrates the same. As we approach this holiday please embrace it with some sensitivity. Not all mothers choose to celebrate in a big way because there are painful memories attached to it. Instead of questioning why or making her feel guilty because she isn't celebrating with joy... just accept her wishes and support her in the way she needs. 

Be sensitive to the moms that have lost a child. So many women/mothers I know have lost a child too early and are grieving that moment. They see their faces or can feel their kicks from their womb. Some mothers got to spend years with their deceased child while others only moments. Please be sensitive to their hearts on this day. Remember even if they are celebrating their other children the child they lost is on their hearts and minds especially on this day. 

Be sensitive to the moms that are waiting to become a mom. As a mom who struggled with infertility I know that Mother's Day was just another reminder that I wasn't a mom yet. It was a difficult day because I was always wondering if I would be able to celebrate AS a mom. For so many of my friends getting pregnant was so easy, but for others of us it wasn't an easy journey. Many times it ended in a negative pregnancy test in the bathroom where we felt alone and like a failure. So pray for these mothers.... that they have a peace in their hearts on Sunday. Pray for the children they may someday adopt or foster. Pray for the children they may bear into this world when God's will says it's time! Pray for the women who will be called into children's ministry to touch hundreds of children's' lives even if they aren't their own. 

Be sensitive to the moms who have had to say good bye to their mother until they reach Heaven. This one is very true for me. It's been 17 years since I have lost my mom but each Mother's Day is still so very difficult. Mother's Day was the last holiday I celebrated with her before she went into the hospital for the last time the following week. The week after Mother's Day my mom went to Heaven and I became a very lost 17 year old who missed her mother incredibly.
I thought that after I became a mother the day might take on a new meaning and I might even enjoy it. But even though I smile for my kiddos and love their celebration of me as their mom.... it's still a sad day to me. Followed by a hard week remembering losing my mom and all that it entailed. So please be mindful of these women who have lost their moms and are remembering them on this day. 

Be sensitive to the moms who have children/spouses in the military serving our country. Pray that these moms have a peace on this day knowing that their children are serving their country with pride and honor. Pray for the phone calls that are made from military bases back home... pray the time is well spent in conversation and connections remain strong. Pray for the children who are missing their military mommies. Allow their letters and packages to arrive safely to their moms. 

As we approach any holiday we need to be mindful that not all holidays are a joyful time for everyone. That doesn't mean the person is hard-hearted or cold to the world. It means there is something deeper that we can't see. Everyone is dealing with their own internal battles and we can just continue to love people and meet them where they are at. Time can heal....but our hearts never forget our mommas. 

My response to the Women's March 2017

I was unable to participate in the Women's March in Peoria Saturday, January 21, 2017. I was still feeling under the weather and didn't quite grasp the entire concept of what the march was supposed to be about. If it was for the empowerment of women and to promote unity in our country -- I was all for that. But as I scanned the photos and posts from several of my Facebook friends I wasn't sure what the point of it was at all....so many negative messages! It wasn't empowering to me at all. 
Then I came across a photo meme that really disturbed me above all. At first it looks pleasant and positive.... but then I thought about why it bothered me so much! This was the image. 

Now don't get me wrong. It's an absolutely BEAUTIFUL picture of a GORGEOUS little girl! It's the words above that bother me so much.... right down to the core! "Women are Perfect." Talk about pressure?! It almost bothered me more than some of the unethical Donald Trump comments. (This was from a male friend's Facebook post BTW). 
Many women I know already feel inadequate and like they need to be perfect all the time. We see what the world sees as the "perfect woman" from a very small age. My 4 year old daughter Lucy sees Disney Princesses as the perfect woman. Not only from their perfect (impossible to get) bodies, but they have the right clothes, the right prince, and they are kind to all (all of the time)! They can sing, dance, and have it all together by the end of their happily ever after. During our awkward teen years --- women see the models and celebrities as the perfect women. Then even into our adulthood I have people that I see as perfect and I want to be perfect like them. This is an illusion of course because NO ONE IS PERFECT! But the journey to become perfect feels never-ending.....
When Chad and I were struggling with infertility I put on a happy face most of the time but I was a mess inside. All of Chad's tests came back normal while the problem was with my hormone levels being EXTREMELY low. I felt like I had failed as a woman. I was supposed to be able to bear children and now it wasn't happening. 
From not liking the image in the mirror to seeing how perfect "so and so" can cook to how patient and "together" that mom is on the playground. Nothing rattles these women... so what's wrong with me?! As a great author and friend of mine, Jill Savage says, "We have the perfection infection." We strive to be perfect even though it is never attainable. The world puts this stigma on being perfect so we put on an act trying to be perfect and beat ourselves up on the inside when we don't achieve our goals of perfection. Talk about feeling like a failure....
But the good news is this! God doesn't care about perfect! In fact He is the ONLY ONE who is perfect. He loves us through our imperfections and continues to tell us that we are beautiful to Him! If we were perfect then we would have no need for Him. But because we aren't perfect we need to rely on Him in our lives. To look through his eyes and see the beauty that we are! Only when we ask Him into our lives and reach our heavenly goal will we be made perfect in His image through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ! 

Overwhelmed.....but learning to cope!

We all get overwhelmed from time to time. No matter how cool, calm, and collected we may appear there are moments when we feel like our world around us is collapsing. Sometimes there are so many items on our plate and we just can't take one more thing! Sometimes I literally feel the walls of my house slowly moving inward about to squish me (think Indiana Jones type booby traps). 

I have always been a person who sometimes lets my "overwhelmed self" get the better of me! If you know me personally and are reading this I bet you just laughed out loud while nodding! Sometimes I just snap and feel completely out of control. If you ever want to see one of these moments just stop by in January --- the birthday month!

Because both my son and my daughter were born in January we have a lot of birthday parties in January. Jack was born on January 20, 2012 and we adopted him just 3 days later. Not quite a year later January 4, 2013 Lucy Sue was born on my 30th birthday! So we have 3 out of the 4 of us celebrating our birthdays all within the same month. Birthday parties weren't as big of a deal until this year when both kids have their own friends and we aren't just celebrating with family members. Now we had to have kid parties as well as the family party. And because they are a boy and a girl their friend parties are separate. Jack didn't really want a Beauty and the Beast tea party with his sister. LOL So he will have a Lion Guard party instead. 

This January has been an experiment in dealing with my Overwhelmed Self. Lucy's birthday party was the first Saturday of the month. Her adorable friends came dressed in their favorite princess outfits (save for one of her friends who wanted to come in her Creature Power suit - to each their own). These little ladies were so excited to see the table decorated to the nines with candles and roses galore.... just like Belle would like it! We played Pin the Kiss on the Frog, Princess Bingo, and had a princess dance party/sing a long! It was a magical time for all of the little princesses! But for the King and the Queen (aka Chad and I)  it was a different story. 2 hours before the party the Queen of OCD became her overwhelmed self and started to lose it. Some of the treats she was preparing weren't all turning out quite right, the house hadn't been vacuumed yet, and things weren't going according to her carefully laid plans! So she let the King (Chad) know just how frustrated she was... mostly unloading everything on him! But by the time the guests arrived all was back to "normal."

The Beauty and the Beast Tea Party

The Birthday Princess!

Princess playing games

All in all it was a good day!

Later that evening the Queen Emily apologized to King Chad. I was so disappointed I had let my overwhelmed self take control. After all I had just finished being a part of the book launch team for 

Overwhelmed: How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore Your Sanity by Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory. 

Click to buy on Amazon

The book had been revolutionary to me and had literally rocked my world! I had already put so many things from the book into practice. This was a definite test... and I had failed. A common theme throughout the book is pre-deciding how you will react to things. This can happen in many ways. I hadn't taken the time to decide how I would react when the mini bunt cakes stuck in the pan therefore ruining their perfect shape. I didn't pre-decide my reaction when I was running behind schedule. I just didn't think ahead to the "what happens when things go wrong?" 

So I decided that the next party (the combined birthday family party) would be different! I pre-decided my attitude would remain calm because after all this was a celebration!!! God definitely put this pre-decision to the test. The Thursday before our Saturday party Jack came down with a fever. He was feeling "less than" in many ways, coughing throughout the night, and was just plain miserable. Friday before the party I joined him with body aches, sore throat, and feeling awful. Early on Saturday morning I stuck to my pre-decided plan. Instead of "freaking out" like I normally do when life throws me curve balls I calmly decided we would leave it up to family members to come if they still wanted to or stay home if they didn't want to be around this cold that had hit our household. Some stayed home and some stayed. I had purchased the cake and veggie tray earlier that day and decided to just make a simple chex mix that didn't take a lot of effort. I pre-decided that if the house wasn't in perfect condition it was ok. I disinfected door knobs, counters, and the bathrooms but that was it! No vacuuming, polishing, or tidying up beyond just a basic pickup. Chad was in disbelief! He had never seen his "pre-party crazed wife" acting so calm. It was a great party and all of us enjoyed it regardless of being under the weather. 

Combined family party ---- A complete success! (with no overwhelmed self looming)

As we go into this New Year I encourage you to figure out how to tame your "Overwhelmed Self." How do you eliminate some of the things that overwhelm you? How do you pre-decide your reaction to the curve balls of life? I would highly recommend the purchase of this book by Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory!  Click this link to purchase: Overwhelmed:How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore Your Sanity The strategies and situations are applicable immediately... not just over time! It is a great tool to help you on your journey of restoring your sanity!