Some Snippets and Words for Marriage

I do NOT know how to do half-way!  In fact that's why I'm having a hard time blogging lately.  There is so much more I want to share, but can't, or shouldn't,  or I don't have my act together, like on my Israel pictures, and can't share that either.  Ugh! Fruuuuustrating!  Not that I have any mysterious secrets or anything, just stuff that I know is not for "blog land".  Then I wonder... am I still being real and honest if I'm not laying it all out there? Thus my over-explaining habit.

So
instead
some
snippets
from the last couple of weeks.
The things I don't want to forget (or maybe I do!)

We spent a lot of extra time at the Church last week.  The kids love playing hide-n-go-seek in our building because it has so many nooks and crannies.  So, I'm in the Chapel working with a group of people, the front doors are locked and my kids are going crazy hiding and seeking.  All of a sudden I hear screaming and crying and here comes Hannah, hands down her pants, yelling "I hurt my v****a!" over and over again.  Oh my. 

At a Lion's Club meeting, Paul and I were sitting together with Mary.  One of the old friendly guys comes up to Paul to say "Wow, did you have another baby?" (We only go a couple times a year) "Don't you know what causes that?" he says.  (Like we haven't heard that question a MILLION times!) Pauls says "Nope, all I know is I go to bed at night and wake up with a smile on my face in the morning".  They laughed so hard, I was looking to crawl under the table.

We had some excitement a few days ago when an animal got into our garbage that was out on the curb.  Paul: likes to put it out 2 days early. Me: I like to run like a mad woman chasing down the garbage man as he drives past our house.  I'm only in charge when Paul's not here. 
When we woke up on Wednesday morning, the garbage was knocked over and there were dirty diapers, meat wrappers, toys and art papers strewn all over the street.  There was no way we could pretend it wasn't us.  The boys went to help some, the girls watched, and they were all complaining about the stuff they saw that I had thrown away (I played stupid... who me??).  Hannah was convinced a T-Rex got into it.  Ann was worried about the mess.  I knew my coffee was getting cold.  The boys worked on it until it was time to go to school.  They are such great little guys.  Paul cleaned up the rest, but we saved the stirofoam meat wrappers because it had big bite marks and teeth prints in it.  Very cool for us to study and try to figure out what kind of animal it was.  After some research, we concluded it was a skunk.  Except for Hannh who still insists it was a T-Rex.

For Sunbeams, Girl Guards and Moonbeams last night (Youth Activities) we did Pedicures.  It was so much fun!  I was so glad to have 4 other adult helpers between 18 children.  Paul did Adventure Corps with the boys (I think about 10) and they are engineering/building with popsicle sticks and hot glue.  I really, really, really love my "job"!

And  now... a thought... 
At CBS (Community Bible Study) this morning, I was given a prophetic word that convicted me and encouraged me to more diligently care for my husband and children before all others. I know from experience that when I am putting my energy into my family, it naturally spills over into my ministry and it is a beautiful flow.  And like I like to remind my darling hubby... and he tells me too... when I am caring for him, I am helping him be a better Officer(Minister).  We may not get any credit from our "powers that be" for that, but that doesn't make it any less important.  It just makes it more special because it's the stuff that only God sees and the one person that we are closest to in all the earth, our hubbies.

When I have it backwards, I am not at peace and we all suffer.  I have had it backwards the last 2 weeks, because of the demands of the moment that I had little control over.   I thank God for His filling-in-the-blanks and my happy, flexible children, but my hubby needs more of me. 

It is time to reign it in again!  Watch out!

I am passing this on to my readers because I know how great the struggle can be between honoring and blossoming in our God given roles as women and honoring our God given "addendum" roles as Salvation Army Officers, or your "fill in the blank" ministry, a. k.a. job. (for some women, the ministry is to work outside the home in order to bring in some extra bacon that you otherwise couldn't survive without)   What I'm saying is... pay attention to your marriage.  Do whatever it takes to form it into "one flesh".  Be of one mind, be a team, be entirely each other's.  This is the one human relationship that requires all of you, all the time.  Fruitful marriages come second only to creation.  It was God's first intention of mankind relating to each other. 

And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone,
I will make him an help meet for him.

-Genesis 2:18

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:

and they shall be one flesh.

-Genesis 2:24

and a quote I like...

Man's best possession is a sympathetic wife.

--Euripedes Antigone

 
Thank you, Lord, for marriage!