Holding Back

At the start of the Homily today at church, I wrote a check to put in the basket. Not alot... cuz, well, I didn't want to give it all away. ya know? I was thinking about donuts and coffee for afterwards... :P and payday in two days.

Then we heard the story of the fishes and loaves. A little boy came forward and gave all he had. It's a story that's retold six times in the bible, said the priest, signifying its importance. A miracle happened that day because the boy GAVE ALL HE HAD. If we're looking for miracles, looking for God's work in our lives, looking for that break from the stress and strain of modern living, maybe we need to give all we have, too. Then, miracles will happen.

After contemplating for a few moments, I leaned over to my husband and whispered, "I might need to rewrite that check."

haha. Of course, giving means more than money... time, attitudes, work, play. It's all encompassing. :)

Writing is happening slowly, too slowly for me, but i'm so excited about our prospective new house...and it's fifth bedroom/office. I'm able to sit back a little while the kids are home from school, because I know in a month, the house will be quiet again [except for Darla] and I'll have more time to write. I like how today's sermon even applies to my writing. And it can apply to just about every aspect of life.

Looking forward to Autumn and what the change in season will bring.
Have a great week, friends.
With Love,
Bethanne

Miracle Monday

I've been avoiding this place. I see it around the corner and run the other way. It tries to catch my eye, but I fake a yawn and turn away like I don't see it there. Occasionally, I even pretend we're friends and I sit and chat, but at the last minute I make an excuse that I have to leave... oh the kids are crying or I left something on in the kitchen.

But it's Monday today. And at least today, I can focus on the miracles. Seriously, I need a miracle day. Just one day to remember that life has it's good moments, too. Otherwise, I start focusing on all the stuff that feels off... like my computer problems--darn, technology. :( Or the fact that I feel like an utter failure when it comes to buying b-day presents for my son [shouldn't I know what to buy a boy who is blind?! I birthed him, didn't I? I know what he likes!]. Like how I spend a nice quiet morning with my husband, only for us to find out that he didn't get the message about reporting two and half hours earlier than originally posted, and he might miss out on the schooling that he wants to do. :( Grrrr. And then, when I know it's not his fault to say in my head [and to him, actually], "I told you to carry that damn phone with you!!" You mght have only been a half an hour late if you hadn't left your phone upstairs!

See? See what I mean? No wonder I've been avoiding this place. I'm worried about scaring all my readers away. hahaha.

MIRACLE MONDAY, the reminder that my world is bigger than the annoyances of daily living.

Today i'll go bigger and celebrate my son who was born 6 years ago, yesterday.
When I spent weeks worried about hydrocephelas and mental retardation, shunts and surgeries, I was gifted a son who has no eye on the left and no sight on the right. He is smart. Soooo incredibly smart, he will someday do great things with his extraordinary capabilities.  Until then, he enjoys farting noises and peepee jokes. He loves to read and can tell a great joke. He gives warm hugs and loves just about everyone he meets.

Miracle Monday

We were told last week that Matt would be able to come home for leave and ten days of TDY [temporary duty] so we could all move to GA. Yay! That's way better than having to report for duty immediately following graduation. :P

We've been praying for this. So thank you God for pulling that one through. I can not tell you how happy it makes me that my husband will be able to come home and just be here for a little while. You know it would have been fine if we'd had to move down there without him. The end result IS the same, but it's nice to say goodbye together. We've had some good times in this town and made some wonderful friends. This is better. WAY better.

I'll be off this week [again] to go get him. :D
If the blog goes silent, you know why.
Enjoy these hot, dog days of summer.
They won't last.
With Love,
Bethanne

Miracle Monday

On the lighter side, I woke up this morning, put on a nice white tank top, camisole-like shirt then proceeded to have a bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce for breakfast.  I did not get any sauce on my shirt!! Whooot! A miracle!

On a more appreciative note...
In a very shallow, human weakness kind-of-way, this week I had a bit of a panic episode. It suddenly hit me that I was going to need something to wear to this ceremony for my husband. Okay, it wasn't exactly sudden, it was more like I saw a picture of another officer's wife who looked really nice...tailored blouse, accessories, belt... ugh. She looked really good.  But after an AWFUL month of May, spending money I probably could have waited to spend or just saved altogether, I did NOT want to spend anymore money. Yet I was afraid to even look through my wardrobe. Being an officer's wife is a bit of a new experience for me (one who usually finds something at Walmart that will only last one season). Though I know there are no written rules about what I should wear, I also know that I want to look nice. I want to be a worthy reflection of my husband's uniform, his duty and honor.

I thought about it for a few minutes. I ran to my very close friends and said, ACK! What am I going to do?! What did you wear? Why am I suddenly self-conscious about what I'm wearing? *pullinghairout*

That night a friend brought dinner over for the family, which was really nice, btw. And with her, she brought a bag of clothing with a few shirts and a nice pair of capris. Nice stuff, too. Perfect for this branching event that I have to go to in July. I was amazed. I thanked her! And then I just had to thank God. He really does care about me. He provides things for us even when we don't ask for them.

That's my miracle!
:D Have a great week.
Bethanne

Miracles--big and small

First, congratulations to Lola! Her name was drawn from the hat. A special package is being put together and sent on its way. Thanks to all my visitors who braved the comment form to share their story with me.

Do you believe in miracles? I do. Present day experiences with God. Signs that He is here on earth with us even though we can't see him. All my life, I've considered myself blessed and without need of any miracle. Even as a diabetic, I've always thought, "There are other people who need it more. At least my disease is manageable."

Well, this week, I was pretty desperate. My husband wanted me to bring the family down to see him, and I knew... finding lodging was going to be impossible. I'd already tried numerous times. We'd come to an agreement that it would be better if just I came down. No kids this time. A room for one person, no problem. Room for a seven-member family? NOT HAPPENING!

But I received a call from him two nights ago. He loves me, but he HAS to see the kids. Four months without seeing them wasn't going to work for him. :D Well, "Okay," I said. And I went to bed praying. Praying, praying, praying... please let something open up. The next morning I woke up and prayed again. Then, I called the campground.

When I was put on hold... my heart started pounding a little harder because until that moment, I'd only had the lady say, "I'm sorry we're booked that week." As a matter of fact, I hardly had to have the question out of my mouth and they'd be saying, NO. The lady came back on the line, "I have a medium cabin from the 8th to the 11th."

"I'LL TAKE IT!"

A miracle. I'm telling you right now...
I don't care what anyone else says. I'd been trying since mid-April to get a reservation for this place on that week. This was my miracle. I was totally claiming it. :D Now my husband, who has worked his ass off for weeks and weeks without being able to see his family has a place to be when we come to town. A place where we can relax, cook our own meals, watch tv, go swimming and not feel the stress of living out of a suitcase and eating out like we would if we had to be in a hotel.

Thank God.