Mellow Monday

The last few days have been "crazy busy" and beautiful. We've spent time with friends and family enjoying our freedom to assemble for fun, food and fellowship. We've cried tears with friends--tears of joy for our re-union and tears of pain and sorrow for losses.

We've been to two parties and two churches. We've heard good news and bad news. We saw fireworks in two different towns (maybe three as we could see some going off in the direction of Mt. Dora from our back yard). We've also spent time with church members doing outreach over the holidays. It seems as if the weekend spun like a whirling top of boundless energy.

Perpetual motion is good but at some point, the top finally stops and we need to take a little time aside to re-group. Monday is to be that way with me. I hope to spend a little time in the pool with the kids and do some light housework. Other than that, I have no Monday plans. Monday will be mellow at least for the first half of the day. I'm not saying that I will spend no time writing or communicating on Facebook nor doing any other household chore, but I have no agenda for the day that has to be done. Whatever I accomplish and whatever time I spend on chores will be enough. I will sit and plan the rest of the week perhaps.

Summer is flying by.

Right now I long for those lazy, hazy days of summer that we heard of in years gone by. I want and need to experience a day of "Summertime, when the living is easy" so if you wish to come to my house tomorrow to see me, come on over. I'll be in casual attire and probably sipping a flavored iced tea drink (herbal and decaf of course). I won't have pretty hair or makeup. I might not even wear my shoes (oh, my!). If you want to see my house, please make an appointment. It will not be a museum tomorrow, I promise. But I shall be relaxed, Lord-willing.

As a recovering perfectionist, I have to take a stand against perfectionism in my home by purposely taking it easy once in a while. I'm not a really good homemaker but I do obsess about cleanliness enough that I don't have company often and I've discovered that my areas and gifting of hospitality are not in the category of entertaining-I wish they were. I do love to have guests but strongly dread the prep and clean up part-I'm weird. There, you have one of my quirks to gawk at. Now you know. I'm OCD on some things. So why fight it? Why not just accept it? Well, I'm doing a bit of both. I realize a flaw in myself but will not let it rule me.

As Paul says, "I will not be mastered by anything...I buffet (no, not bufet) my body and keep it under submission." This applies not only to work and self discipline but also to rest and relaxation. We can't let life or compulsions for anything to rule our lives, but let our minds and spirits rule our actions and our down time.

I attended parties-that may seem like R and R to some but that is not rest to me. I enjoy the people but there is a certain amount of stress in that level of socialization, not to mention food prep, clean up, etc.

A "Sparky Sanguine" by nature, I love the mingling and chatting. I love watching the kids play and the adults interact. I don't do well with planning that kind of thing. At least, not like I used to. I love the synergy at a party but at some point in time, all that energy comes crashing down and I need rest. That is where I stand now.

Well, I've rambled enough. Not much spiritual content in today's post. Just a little steam let out by a wannabe veggie for a day.

What are you doing to "veg" after the busy holiday weekend? Or is it "just another manic Monday"?

Enough busyness for me for a day or two.

So here I go....

Goodbye Wacky Weekend. Hello, Mellow Monday.

Writers Take Notice!

Attention All Writers!

LAKE FAMILY MAGAZINE

is looking for writers

to take over these departments on a monthly basis:

Inspirational Articles
Bits and Pieces
Your Happy Home
Lake Family Health Page

Monthly submissions of inspirational articles along the lines that you see below should be Approx. 500-750 words. This can be faith based but NOT overt since we are distributed through public school. The attached article is a good example but may even press the faith issue. We are trying hard to get a good message out but we must walk the line lest we lose our ability to do so. Please see Becky Joie for a copy to peruse these departments. You can see how each one is written. LFM prefers a conversational yet intelligent tone in its writing. Please contact Stephanie Clunn at info@lakefamilymagazine.com for more info or to submit an example of your writing.

Here's the sample:

The Invisible Woman by Nicole Johnson

It all began to make sense, the bland stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask,"'What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude-but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going . . . she's gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this. "It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees. "In the days ahead I would read-no, devour-the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: (1 ) No one can say who built the great cathedrals-we have no record of their names.
(2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. (3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. (4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man,” Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees." I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me. "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral. But you can't see right now what it will become. At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because so few people are willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there." As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. God bless you as you build your cathedrals!
"Excerpt Reprinted by permission. The Invisible Woman, Nicole Johnson, 2005,Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. For moreinformation, check out the author's Web site at www.freshbrewedlife.com

Catch Up and Ketchup

A friend of mine came to Golden Triangle Homeschooling last Friday with her husband. He was wearing a shirt that tickled me pink. I wanted duplicates for my two sons. The shirt said, "I put ketchup on my ketchup." Hysterical!

Well sometimes, I feel like the same thing applies to my attempts to catch up after holidays. I have piles of stuff to do, including taking down my Christmas decorations which I left up extra long due to wanting to share the beauty with guests that came after the holidays.

Now I have to catch up on a major catch up agenda! I hope to find time to post in between the tasks. If not, I will then have to play catch up in the blogworld as well.

I am hopeful my power naps will pay off!

Sunday Sick Day

I don't usually take days off from church but today I was so exhausted, have a sore throat, stuffy nose and headache and in light of all the recent stress, I needed a break.

The two kids who either cause the most trouble (either on the way or at church) stayed home with me and the other one went with Dad who was playing bass guitar in the praise band. He probably enjoyed being the big cheese and riding all alone with Dad in the car anyway. He's also our early bird and I knew he'd never let the others sleep in which meant with him home, I could not sleep in. I don't remember the last day I slept in. It's been months. It was great to do so today!

This morning we had boiled eggs mashed with melted butter, toast and strawberry applesauce just for fun and we watched DVD's of one of my favorite claymation tv shows as a kid, DAVY and GOLIATH. For more info see: http://www.daveyandgoliath.org/

The story lines, though written in the 1950'sand 1960's, teach great little morals that children even from this day and age find relatable. I think I'm going to find some more and buy them for children's church for the times they need a short movie to fill in time after the teaching and activities.

Needless to say, it was nice to have some down time. That is most of it was, since I only had one blow out from one kid this morning and she went to her room three minutes ago for a cool down. Is that banging I hear. No, just knocking. She's drumming on the wall. Oh boy. I'll be right back.

Okay. I'm back.

Tonight, we are suppose to go to visit my friend Lyssie. I will check with her to see if she still wants me there. I think what I have going on is allergy and stress related rather than a cold. It might do me some good to spend time with a friend. But we will have to bring distractions for the kids or Velcro, just kidding. Anyway, Here come the boys from church. I need to go. Have a great Sunday everyone.

Too Tired To Talk

Yes, I've been "bloglinquent" these last few days. Reason? Too Tired To Talk!

Too much to talk about, not enough energy to talk about it. Too many interruptions.

I suspect it will be this way and busier until after the childrens' school Christmas break is over so if you don't see a post everyday. Don't worry. I'm still here, just up to my ears swimming in activity and RAD issues. The holiday season can be a bear sometimes. I wish I could be 100% positive but I can be 100% realistic.

Sad news. My older son was suppose to visit for Christmas. It isn't happening now. I am heart broken.

Good news. Wheels Kid has his 19 year old sister coming in to visit for the week of January 1-7. He doesn't know. I think he will be excited/happy. Finding an extra bed is going to be interesting though.

Unnerving news. We are also suppose to take a family day trip (4 hours each way) to visit siblings of our foster children possibly on January 1 for the day. Culinary Kid will be happy and thankful. Fidge will act out and throw fits probably. We can't leave her behind either. The visit is a must. Take a deep breath! Hold on for roller coaster ride.

Mr. Steady had lots of packages and mail to deliver today. Of course, on Saturday- the usual short day- he has more where as during the week that is traditionally busy, he has no extra work. Oh well. Christmas is different this year in many ways.

News of Blessings. We received gift cards from the church men's ministry and another from a close relative. Food and gifts for the kids will be a bit easier now. Thank you, God!

I'm praying about whether and what to do about going back to work in the new year. Somehow I would need to balance work with homeschooling Wheel's Kid, hmmmm. I don't know how I will do it. I'm too busy right now even to sell Tupperware! Help, God!

Prayer is still needed for one of our foster children who is undergoing attachment therapy.(Not the kind of therapy that is coercive as one of my readers warned me against.) We don't know how much more of her issues we are equipped to handle. If we can't keep everyone else emotionally and physically safe, we will need to look into a safe place for respite or other alternative housing. We are unsure what the right thing is to do. We're so attached to her but...the rest of us have to survive and be in one piece too. We just need some rest and respite or else we won't be able to parent her or anyone else. The other thing is that she may need to be in a one-on-one situation to heal. She was rated at very severe in her RAD. Some experts say that placing two RAD siblings in the same home is unlikely to work, causing all to be sicker. I'm not sure on this and want to think more about it and research what others say before making any moves. Moving is traumatic to RADishes, much more than other children. But we have 3 RADishes and two are being traumatized along with us by the first RADish. The sad thing is that the first RADish is being traumatized by herself and her reactions to the past. This is not easy. We are trying to see the trees through the forest. Pray! Please!

Well, I'm off to break up a fight between RADishes before we have RADish salad! Have a great day. I hope to blog again soon. If not, I hope your Christmas holiday is great.

BeckyJoie

Good News

Yahoo! One of my kids got funded for Attachment Therapy with neuro/biofeedback. Yipee. Miracles do happen. Oh me of little faith for not believing we would ever get funded after how many months of waiting?????? Of course, it is a long drive toward the Orlando area because these therapists are few and far between but.... I'll take it. Anything that will help, right? I will let everyone know what I think after the first session next week.

Writing Goals Update.

FOR MY FELLOW WRITERS:

November 7th is the deadline I have set for myself on the following weekly writing goals.

1. Write, Edit and Rewrite my short story to submit to Handprints on the Heart.
2. Finish the Rewrite of another short story for submission to a contest.
3. Submit poem to an online contest.
4. Research one new market to write for.

My discovery: I need to break down my writing agenda weekly rather than monthly in order to bring the lines closer and make it more urgent. So far, I'm 50% done on Goals #1 and #2. I'd better get cracking!

These are my goals. What are yours?

Kindness Works

I received an email today from one of my kind friends at Kindness Works International, John Deluca. Over a year ago, we began an effort in cooperation with others in the community, to create a Kindness Curriculum for ages birth to five years that will hopefully become a pilot program in the Florida schools, and daycare. The curriculum will consist of resources for Private, Public and Home Educators to promote and teach kindness in the home and community, through human involvement, videos , puppets, teaching tubs and parenting education as well as music and the arts.

As one of the curriculum writers, I've been waiting to see what this project would develop into and how much support we would gain. At this point, we are seeking funding to continue the creation process, but many people have jumped on our bandwagon.

John sent me a link to our corporate and community videos. They were absolutely fantastic! I was surprised to find footage of my friends, their kids and I included throughout the video. I had written a song, played it on the guitar and taught it to a group of children. The song was about how fun it is to be kind and how well kindness works. It was SO much fun, dancing around the fountain in Leesburg, singing in the classroom and performing ventriloquism at Villages Charter School for the students while handing out Kind Cards. It was precious to see faces light up as children "got" the message we were trying to promote. There was also some great footage of my friend and co-writer, Michelle, with her daughter performing random acts of kindness around town. Then, of course, our spokesman, the renown Christian singer, Norman Lee, wrote the theme song and told of the mission of KWI to start a ripple of kindness that reaches out and starts other ripples, and thereby change the world in any way that we can.

Our hope is to obtain funding from corporations and local donors by giving away this video and garnering support. Although a non-religious non-profit, KWI has many people of faith involved who believe in the cause. Would you join with me in this effort that is mainly a volunteer venture up to this point? KWI is already doing so many good things for this area that many people are unaware of, including giving away college scholarships to children in the Villages and other similar acts of charity.

Why I am tooting the horn for KWI? Because I too, believe in the concepts and actions of KWI to promote kindness and try to better our world.
For more information, visit:http://www.kindnessworksinternational.org/ or to see the videos, stay tuned. They will be posted as soon as I get the "ok".

To Writer's Group in a Whirlwind

Today was a whirlwind. I seem to live life that way. After cramming in four medical visits before noon and two trips to the school to pick up and drop off children, I raced to the Circle K "convenience store" to buy a hot dog shaped cheeseburger topped with chili, nacho cheese, onions and sauerkraut. (My stomach is reminding me why I shouldn't eat much meat and why mystery meat doesn't classify anyway. ) I gobbled it as I sped to Clermont Christian Writer's Group, arriving thirty minutes late.

Whew! I made it, but not without dashing through buckets of rain and tripping in through the front entrance of the Coopers Memorial Library. Soggy books and papers in hand, I hoped to sneak into the Genealogy Room where our meetings are held and slide unnoticed into a corner.

Of course, I was rudely reminded as I opened it, that the door leads into the center of the seating area and I was in plain sight. Water dripping from my overgrown bangs slid down my glasses and made a trail down my temples and nose. I stifled the urge to swipe my hand across my forehead and push my hair up into a good "Catholic girl" bun on top of my head. Terri mentioned there might be press at the meeting. I really don't want to draw attention to myself looking like this. Of course my gift of gab usually lands me in trouble anyways. I opened my mouth and said "sorry" two or three times, looked around and saw no cameras so breathed a deep sigh of relief and took the first chair, the one I always sit in when I attend because I get there in the nick of time.

"Is it raining?" someone asked. "It was bright and sunny when we arrived a half an hour ago."

I just giggled like a nervous chattering bird. "Yup," I muttered and then tried to wipe off my loose papers. Then the door opened again and in walked, Roxanne, the reporter from the Daily Commercial. At least I missed being the only soggy person in the room.

Welcome to Florida. It's like that here. Not a cloud in the sky and all of a sudden, WOOSH! The sky is falling on you in the form of liquid sunshine. On the bright side, it doesn't last all day for weeks like northern Springs and Summers. Here in Central Florida, rain comes in spurts, like giant mouthfuls of lukewarm water spewn from the clouds and then it's over in a few minutes or an hour (even during hurricane season it's not as rainy as Upstate New York in June). Of course, there are exceptions. Today wasn't one of them. I just happened to catch the downpour.

I'm sure you've heard enough about Florida's weather! I made it to my favorite group wanting to make the best of the time I had left. Outside of family and church, CCW is the place where I feel most at home. We writers are a different breed. .. and being part of the pack again feels fabulous.

Life has a way of weaseling in other things and bumping my writing time to the back burner. That is not good for a writer. Nothing happens back there. It's much better when I give it the heat it requires. When I place myself in the company of other creative people, the flame under me reaches ignition point and I am, once again, bubbling up with tasty morsels of writing ideas. This is one of the reasons I have enjoyed the last two writing groups I joined.

There are many talented people in our group. I wish you could meet them but since only local residents may have that privilege, I will introduce them to you now via a "little blurb" for each member.

Donna is a gem. She sparkles and brings joy to all who are in her presence. I enjoy hearing her talk about her experiences and how they have helped her to reach out to others. She is working on a novel that sounds very appealing to me. I get the feeling as well, that she is a very deep person with many fascinating tales to tell. I would love to hear them!

Dave is a brilliant and charming man with a unique angle for almost anything brought to the table. He carries with him experience and realism that set the tone for the genre at which he is apparently very skilled, although, the praise won't come from his own lips. He is a very humble and generous person. Last month, he brought a copy of his published book, The Sign of His Coming, (see the link on CCW's blog) to give away. He held a contest to see who could answer a question about the title of his book. I was fortunate to be the winner. I can't wait to open it. It will make good night time reading. I love the genre. It reminds me of my father. He was always into eschatology, prophecy and similar topics. I think Dave and my Dad would have been great friends had they known each other.

Sharon is a darling! My Dad would have loved her also. There is a lot of wisdom in her speech that is both uplifting and informative. She is also a very thoughtful person as she remembered minuscule details I had shared with her about my personal life. During the month, she called to tell me of a radio broadcast which had some helpful information to me. I never did get to thank her. (Thank you, Sharon!) She has a knack for relating to people's needs. I'm sure her stories and poems of comfort will touch many hurting people. She has a joy emanating from her that is evident even in her writing.

Terri is the Founder and Group Facilitator who has a wealth of knowledge and experience and yet she is very down-to-earth and approachable. She's the kind of person you feel you've known all of your life and would trust with your deepest secrets knowing she wouldn't bat an eyelash at anything you said and yet she is very professional and accomplished. I look forward to learning more from her. She is truly amazing to have launched this group in such an effective and efficient manner, not to mention, the information highway she keeps up with on our group blog! She keeps us on our toes with market opportunities galore! And now we are tap dancing as she and the group hold us accountable to go after our individual writing goals for the month by posting them on the world wide web for God and everybody to gawk at! Thanks, Terri! It helps me to see it. Maybe I will view my writing more as work now!

Last, but not least, is my new found friend, Nancy. It sounds as though some similarities in our experiences and life goals might bring us together at some point to a joint endeavor. She is the type of person I just feel at home around. I feel I can look up to her as she always has a "word from the Lord." By this, I mean, some spiritual insight or scriptural reminder that uplifts and encourages me as a Christian and a writer. My prayer for her is that she realizes what a special person she is in Christ and that all writers, at some point, feel unworthy or intimidated by the goals and dreams they have. This is, especially, not a bad thing for a Christian writer for we are reminded that the Bible says we are strong when we are weak. This allows us to give the glory to none other than the One who deserves it. And, as she shared, it allows us to see the miraculous in the ordinary tasks of our writing, discovering that God is indeed leading and guiding our inspirations.

In every group, I've attended, it seems the Lord has connected me to at least one person with whom I find much in common. In Palm Group, it was Barb and Sherri. There were many I enjoyed knowing. It is the same with CCW. I feel as though every person in the room could be a great friend.

As we "spur each other on to good works", living our lives in fast forward motion, I pray that the results we accomplish and the fellowship we share will not only enrich our lives, but also, complete the extraordinary purposes for which we assemble. I do feel this group has a divine purpose. We are in the seed-sowing season. There is much labor and joy as we work together. There will be sweat and tears as well. Together we will rejoice when the harvest arrives. Life seems so busy but soon it will fly by us and we will see the fruit of our labor.


This whirlwind I travel in is like a tornado some times. I'm being carried to many places, to see and do many things. Life happens so fast that I feel like I'm trying to tap myself on the shoulder as I spin to catch up with the stranger I'm trying to find. I hardly recognize myself anymore. God is changing so much so fast. In the midst of the rush, I feel a strange calm. I can't describe it fully, but I can only offer that it is the breath of God blowing over my life, taking me where it wills, accomplishing what it sets out to perform. As it carries me through the remainder of this year, I pray that I will be able to look back and see that I didn't try to fight through the storm to get to familiar territory but rather, that I rested in the eye of the storms when they came and when they were gone, I ran with the breeze. I pray that I will always land in God's green pastures where He leads me beside the still waters and restores my soul. (Psalm 23). There He has a table before me to celebrate the victory and success He has brought through it all.

This day has flown and slipped through my fingers. I can hardly stop reeling from all that has happened. As the spinning slows, I just thank God that He had all things under His control. "Even the wind and the waves obey Him."