"I'm sorry, ma'm. You have what is known as 'major-move-itis'. There is no treatment for this. You just have to ride it out, and hope for the best."
Every time we move, I feel like I have come down with the worst sickness known to man.
No one wants to do things with me because I am moving.
Heck, I don't want to do things with me....I don't like who I am when I am preparing for a move.
I am anxious...so much to do in so little time.
I am going to forget something, so I am hyper-focused.
I beat myself up about how messy the house is.
I beat myself up about how much stuff has accumulated in the 2.5/3/4/7 years we have been in this place.
I want to spend all the time with all the people.
I want to hibernate...sleeping away the time will make it pass more quickly, right?!?
I feverishly try to get all the things done.
I feverishly attempt to avoid doing all the things.
Internally, it is no better.
I'm a ball of nerves.
Emotions well up at the most inopportune times.
I get overwhelmed easily.
I show my anxiety as anger, and impatience.
I have gotten better over the years, but my poor husband used to bear the brunt of my move-emotions.
This time, we have a forced day off a week before the movers arrive.
There is a BLIZZARD forecast for tonight. EVERYTHING will be closed tomorrow. There is really NOTHING we can do...no going out to return things, or get rid of things. I mean, I WILL continue washing curtains and boxing them up, and planning what needs to go out next trash day, and trying to sell off 5 window AC units, a dryer, and 39 extra gift bags, among other things...but I can (and WILL) do that from the comfort of my office, in my jammies and warm slippers....with a hot cup of tea.
Please pray for a smooth-ish transition over the two weeks.... we need it!!
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Sunday, December 31, 2017
A tale of two gifts
You never know what it is that people will remember about you, what thing it is that you do that will make their day special.
One Christmas, more than 30 years ago, a young girl and her mother were given luxurious bathrobes. To the young girl, this gift was special, showing a recognition of growth, maturing, and love from a family member. To her mother, who received a robe identical in all but color, the gift was an opportunity to complain.
Fast forward through teen years, college, the births of 6 children, and 25 years of marriage, and the original robe was MUCH worse for wear.
When queried about what I would like for Christmas this year, I said I would like a nice robe, which I was given. The bonus is in the color....
To the two family members who blessed me with almost identical bathrobes, 35 years apart, thank you. Your gifts mean more than you know....
Fast forward through teen years, college, the births of 6 children, and 25 years of marriage, and the original robe was MUCH worse for wear.
To the two family members who blessed me with almost identical bathrobes, 35 years apart, thank you. Your gifts mean more than you know....
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Observations
1. I have learned in more than 20 years of observing military families that it is not the act of service that shapes the life of the children of those who serve, but rather the character of the person doing the service.
2. If I come to you acting/feeling needy, it is because I feel like there might be something fundamentally wrong with how I interact with the world. I don't need judgment. I need you to reassure me that I am normal and/or show me a more effective way.
3. Socializing by financial strata isolates from some pretty amazing people, and makes you see things through a very small window that blinds you to most of the rest of the world's perspective.
4. There are crappy people at every level. More money will not make them better people, and less money does not make them worse people. More money means they have more leverage to hide who they really are at heart, so they can manipulate more readily.
5. People say things as platitudes, but their words mean nothing, and often are more painful to the hearer than to have said nothing at all. Silence truly is golden. Or, as my mother used to say, "Better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it."
6. People are lazy on social media. Very few research anything. Most just repost without checking veracity, and often react without thinking through what they have read, not looking at it from any perspective besides their own.
2. If I come to you acting/feeling needy, it is because I feel like there might be something fundamentally wrong with how I interact with the world. I don't need judgment. I need you to reassure me that I am normal and/or show me a more effective way.
3. Socializing by financial strata isolates from some pretty amazing people, and makes you see things through a very small window that blinds you to most of the rest of the world's perspective.
4. There are crappy people at every level. More money will not make them better people, and less money does not make them worse people. More money means they have more leverage to hide who they really are at heart, so they can manipulate more readily.
5. People say things as platitudes, but their words mean nothing, and often are more painful to the hearer than to have said nothing at all. Silence truly is golden. Or, as my mother used to say, "Better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it."
6. People are lazy on social media. Very few research anything. Most just repost without checking veracity, and often react without thinking through what they have read, not looking at it from any perspective besides their own.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Change is coming....
There is always news of change, some unexpected, but always change.
It will not be news to anyone that we have been waiting for orders for MONTHS. Forever is a LONG time to spend in limbo...but flexibility is something we are no strangers to....
And now we actually have news!! ORDERS!!
And so...
We're doing things....
...and looking for housing... and a job (for me), and figuring out schools, and a church, and doctors, and hair stylists....
...because we're headed to....
Can't wait to say "See ya later!" to Massachusetts!!
Actual dates are not very far in the future...the Navy procrastinated as long as they could, so we will be leaving in early January.
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Stepping up to say ENOUGH
I'm sure most of the US, and for sure a small community in Texas are still reeling from the after-shocks of the shooting that happened almost a week ago. As I struggle to make sense of the deaths of half of that small country church, I have been reading media accounts, testimonies of family members, of the two community heroes who stopped the gunman, and the background of the man who did this.
This is my attempt to assimilate everything I know so far....
The gunman was dishonorably discharged from the Air Force after being convicted and serving time for domestic abuse of his wife and infant stepson. The Air Force admits that they neglected to pass along this information to the agencies who should have been alerted, making it possible for him to purchase the guns he used. (sources: here, here, here)
The details of what he did, and why he did it, and who was killed, and who was injured, and how he was stopped are available all over the internet with only the most cursory search. Those things are not really what is most concerning to me.
In the wake of this horrific crime, people again are asking "WHY?!?" Why are white men, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, doing terrible things to powerless people?
These questions always make me start looking for patterns, which is what I am trained to do. Patterns of behavior help us figure out why things like this happen, and what can be done to prevent further bloodshed.
Too often, people think there is no tie between the "lone wolf" gunmen across our nation. "They acted alone" is the report on the news. While that may be true, there is a disturbing link between most of them that is often overlooked, underreported, and most often completely ignored. That link is a history of domestic violence.
This gunman abused his wife and stepson.
In Texas, in the last 7 years, there are nine more incidents (at least) where groups of 4 or 5 family members and friends were killed by someone with a history of domestic violence (source).
It doesn't just happen in Texas.
In working with victims of domestic violence, one shocking statistic shows that the most dangerous time for a woman escaping a violent and controlling man is AFTER she has already left the relationship. THAT is when she is most likely to be killed. (More statistics at this link).
AND YET...
The typical woman tries to leave a violent relationship SEVEN times before she is successful.
Why don't they leave sooner?
- - They have been alienated from their friends and family by their abuser.
- - They are afraid people won't believe them this time.
- - Fear of retaliation by the abuser.
- - For Christians, they are often told to stay in the relationship.
- - Fear of losing their children.
- - Fear of homelessness.
This is a complicated issue.
Women and children need to be protected.
Violent men need to be redirected, to be stopped from continuing the abuse.
Churches need to know how to respond.
HOW TO RESPOND
This morning, our pastor talked about security for our very large church, and how there is a concerted effort to keep those attending services as safe as possible. This is a NEEDED response. But it is NOT enough.
Our church also is affiliated with a ministry to women, providing a safe and confidential resource for women who are in abusive relationships. This is a NEEDED response. But it is NOT typical for churches across the country.
This week I posed a question on Facebook, asking my MANY pastor-friends what their policies are for dealing with domestic violence. I got ONE response...from a female pastor...and NONE from male pastors, though they outnumber female pastors by a large majority. I want to give the benefit of the doubt, and recognize that they may have been preparing for the weekend's services...but I'd still like to hear from them, at least an acknowledgement that this needs to be on their radar. Because, as we saw last week, domestic violence unchecked affects us all, even in the church...maybe ESPECIALLY in the church.
This is my attempt to assimilate everything I know so far....
The gunman was dishonorably discharged from the Air Force after being convicted and serving time for domestic abuse of his wife and infant stepson. The Air Force admits that they neglected to pass along this information to the agencies who should have been alerted, making it possible for him to purchase the guns he used. (sources: here, here, here)
The details of what he did, and why he did it, and who was killed, and who was injured, and how he was stopped are available all over the internet with only the most cursory search. Those things are not really what is most concerning to me.
In the wake of this horrific crime, people again are asking "WHY?!?" Why are white men, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, doing terrible things to powerless people?
These questions always make me start looking for patterns, which is what I am trained to do. Patterns of behavior help us figure out why things like this happen, and what can be done to prevent further bloodshed.
Too often, people think there is no tie between the "lone wolf" gunmen across our nation. "They acted alone" is the report on the news. While that may be true, there is a disturbing link between most of them that is often overlooked, underreported, and most often completely ignored. That link is a history of domestic violence.
This gunman abused his wife and stepson.
In Texas, in the last 7 years, there are nine more incidents (at least) where groups of 4 or 5 family members and friends were killed by someone with a history of domestic violence (source).
It doesn't just happen in Texas.
While perpetrators of domestic violence account for only about 10 percent of all gun violence, they accounted for54 percent of mass shootings between 2009 and 2016, according to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, so there is a disproportionate link, Webster tells Kodjak. (source).
In working with victims of domestic violence, one shocking statistic shows that the most dangerous time for a woman escaping a violent and controlling man is AFTER she has already left the relationship. THAT is when she is most likely to be killed. (More statistics at this link).
AND YET...
The typical woman tries to leave a violent relationship SEVEN times before she is successful.
Why don't they leave sooner?
- - They have been alienated from their friends and family by their abuser.
- - They are afraid people won't believe them this time.
- - Fear of retaliation by the abuser.
- - For Christians, they are often told to stay in the relationship.
- - Fear of losing their children.
- - Fear of homelessness.
This is a complicated issue.
Women and children need to be protected.
Violent men need to be redirected, to be stopped from continuing the abuse.
Churches need to know how to respond.
HOW TO RESPOND
This morning, our pastor talked about security for our very large church, and how there is a concerted effort to keep those attending services as safe as possible. This is a NEEDED response. But it is NOT enough.
Our church also is affiliated with a ministry to women, providing a safe and confidential resource for women who are in abusive relationships. This is a NEEDED response. But it is NOT typical for churches across the country.
This week I posed a question on Facebook, asking my MANY pastor-friends what their policies are for dealing with domestic violence. I got ONE response...from a female pastor...and NONE from male pastors, though they outnumber female pastors by a large majority. I want to give the benefit of the doubt, and recognize that they may have been preparing for the weekend's services...but I'd still like to hear from them, at least an acknowledgement that this needs to be on their radar. Because, as we saw last week, domestic violence unchecked affects us all, even in the church...maybe ESPECIALLY in the church.
Monday, October 16, 2017
A Momentous Occasion...
I have a LOT of thoughts today...
How does one celebrate 25 years together?
How do you look back and look forward at the same time?
We were SO young.
You were 19...yes, I robbed the cradle. No, I wouldn't have it any other way.
We were so YOUNG.
The stars in our eyes meant we didn't see the risks everyone else tried to alert us to.
They said we wouldn't last.
Honestly, there were moments I was afraid we wouldn't...
...but, God...
God put us together.
God kept us together.
God provided for us.
God blessed us with an amazing bunch of children.
God taught us, and directed us, and reigned us in.
I think God probably also has looked at us over the years, and shaken His head, and wondered if we'd ever "get it", like many parents do with their hard-headed children.
He has seen us through financial difficulties, and marital strife, and drama, and legal problems, and more moves than I care to count. He has protected us through separations, and accidents, and thousands of miles on questionable roads. He has educated us, sometimes in classrooms, but more often through His Word and the input of wise people He puts in our paths.
On this path, we have loved, and laughed, and cried, and yelled, and had hard times, yes. But we have also had fun, and made amazing memories, and worked together, and grown together, and dreamed together.
25 years is a good start. I look forward to the next 25...I can't wait to see where God takes us and what He has for us!!
 |
| First picture together |
 |
| 1992? |
 |
| October 17, 1992 |
 |
| October 17, 1992 |
You were 19...yes, I robbed the cradle. No, I wouldn't have it any other way.
We were so YOUNG.
The stars in our eyes meant we didn't see the risks everyone else tried to alert us to.
 |
| 1996? |
Honestly, there were moments I was afraid we wouldn't...
...but, God...
 |
| 2000 |
God kept us together.
God provided for us.
God blessed us with an amazing bunch of children.
God taught us, and directed us, and reigned us in.
 |
| 2006 |
 |
| 2009 |
 |
| Bahrain, 2011 |
 |
| Married Prom, 2013 |
 |
| September 9, 2017 |
Monday, September 18, 2017
Ten years of Writing
I just looked at my stats pages on this blog, and realized that I am coming up on my 10-year anniversary of posting things for the world to read. This thing has brought more than 52 THOUSAND visits, lots of comment-love, and way too much over-sharing on my part.
Honestly, when I started writing on this blog, I never envisioned that it would go on this long, or that I would have readers all over the world (yes, I know that a LOT of those are bots...but I also know I have friends in Haiti, Thailand, Japan, France, Germany, Canada, and the UK...and probably a few others that don't show up in my Top 10.)
What began as a way to document our lives for my husband who was in another part of the country quickly turned into a therapeutic outlet for me. I have shared from my heart, from my experiences, and from my hopes for the future.
Today, my baby is the same age my eldest was when I started. And that eldest just got married. A lot of life has transpired in those 10 years.
We have moved 2 more times.
3 of my kids have graduated from high school.
The oldest is 2 semesters away from graduating college.
I started and finished 2 Masters degrees.
Jason finished 3 more Masters degrees (he has 4!).
Jason spent a year in Bahrain, and six months in South Korea.
I was able to visit him in Bahrain, twice.
We have cycled through 7 more cars and 2 motorcycles.
I lost my last grandparent.
Jason served as an associate pastor for 2 years.
We survived record-breaking snowfall with little-to-no gear.
There is a lot of between-the-lines that happened....
We have dealt with crimes, and legal systems, and house sales, dramas large and small, celebrations and heartaches.
The thread woven through all of this is how God has guided, and encouraged, and carried, and provided for us every step of the way.
I can't wait to see what He has in store for our next ten years!!
Honestly, when I started writing on this blog, I never envisioned that it would go on this long, or that I would have readers all over the world (yes, I know that a LOT of those are bots...but I also know I have friends in Haiti, Thailand, Japan, France, Germany, Canada, and the UK...and probably a few others that don't show up in my Top 10.)
What began as a way to document our lives for my husband who was in another part of the country quickly turned into a therapeutic outlet for me. I have shared from my heart, from my experiences, and from my hopes for the future.
Today, my baby is the same age my eldest was when I started. And that eldest just got married. A lot of life has transpired in those 10 years.
We have moved 2 more times.
3 of my kids have graduated from high school.
The oldest is 2 semesters away from graduating college.
I started and finished 2 Masters degrees.
Jason finished 3 more Masters degrees (he has 4!).
Jason spent a year in Bahrain, and six months in South Korea.
I was able to visit him in Bahrain, twice.
We have cycled through 7 more cars and 2 motorcycles.
I lost my last grandparent.
Jason served as an associate pastor for 2 years.
We survived record-breaking snowfall with little-to-no gear.
There is a lot of between-the-lines that happened....
We have dealt with crimes, and legal systems, and house sales, dramas large and small, celebrations and heartaches.
The thread woven through all of this is how God has guided, and encouraged, and carried, and provided for us every step of the way.
I can't wait to see what He has in store for our next ten years!!
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