Devastation in Japan

I woke up this morning to the sounds of my sweet husband getting ready for work. Sounds of a hot shower, the fridge opening, the coffee pot, the kitties crying for treats. I stayed warm in the bed, under the covers and I thought to myself,  "I am so thankful."
I think most people have been semi-glued to the t.v. the past few days, watching the devastation and turmoil unfold on the other side of the world. Images flashing of debris, collapsed buildings, water rushing over the land, explosions and fire, people completely broken and desperate to survive. My heart is burdened and heavy. I think, "What if..." I take for granted so many things in life, in everyday life, such as having a warm bed and a roof over my head, having a husband to kiss me goodbye before going to work, having hot water, food, clothes. What if we lost everything? Could I handle it? What would we do? Where would we go? As Christians, it's easy to say, "Well, God's word promises...." , "God will provide whatever we need...", "Stay strong an courageous...", "Ask and ye shall receive...", but sometimes, I want to ask God "Why?" Why allow this? Why all the wars, the shootings, the government struggles, the poverty, Katrina, Haiti, Tsunami's, earthquakes, civil wars...Why? I want to go help, I want to go fix it, I want to do something..I don't like this brokeness and pain and suffering..

No answer. Only a few quiet thoughts.."Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..be thankful...and whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.." Colossians 3.

" Encourage one another and build each other up...live in peace with each other...encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone...always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else...


... Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. " 1 Thess. 5

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands..." 2 Cor. 5

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed... all this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God... for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor. 4

The helper-bee in me wants to hop in the next plane and go help the people.. as I wanted to with Katrina, Haiti, etc...but God has put me in this place for now- He wants me serving His people in Memphis...but I can pray. And the part of me that wants instant gratification says, "well...what the heck does prayer do?" But I have got to remember, God's got this. This isn't His first earthquake. Katrina wasn't His first hurricane. And the turmoil in the middle east and Africa isn't new for Him either. He's got this. He just wants me to be thankful to Him for what He has laid out for my life. He wants me to encourage everyone He puts in my day. He wants me to be kind, joyful, and faithful in prayer. And He wants me to pray for Japan. So I will pray...I might stomp my feet a little because I still don't like the hurt in this world, and I still want to jump on a plane and go help- but God knows that about me, too... He did wire my hard-drive to want to do that... but He wants me here for now, in Memphis, going to LeBonheur to help His children there, going to Caldwell-Guthrie to love His children there.. So I can pray, I can give of the resources He has blessed me with to send others to help, and I can pray some more.

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and  hear my prayer." Psalm 4

"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul." Psalm 86

"For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted on; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." Psalm 22

" I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Psalm 40

"I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip...The Lord watches over you...The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going..." Psalm 121

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty...He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge...He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways..." Psalm 91

"Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint...My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?" Psalm 6

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27

" From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do...the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." Psalm 33

" O Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior." Psalm 38

" All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you; my heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes..." Psalm 38

" His wisdom is profound, his power is vast... He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea... He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." Job 9

A special post just for Trey!

Looking over the past few posts, my sweet husband brought it to my attention that I haven't talked about him enough! So here is a post devoted just to my wonderful husband!

He always makes everything more special and more fun!

He will eat sweets with me anytime without complaining!

He loves my brother...

...and always makes him feel like the most important kid in the world. And they have a blast together!

He can drive an R.V. like nobody's business.

He is super-fun to travel with.

He is a good friend to everyone.

He can always make anybody laugh!

He loves me even after several days of "roughing it" at Bonnaroo and I smell.

He loves doing outdoorsy stuff with me

He supports my love for my work, former patients, and LeBonheur.

He loves all the animals!

He will dress up and be silly- even if it means being the only folks dressed up for a Halloween party.

He will come to the rescue when I discover the house and kitties are infested with fleas, and he comes home to a bathroom full of crying- both cats and mom- all covered in dead flea water. Eeeew!

He cooks a mean dinner! And cleans up afterwards

Again...always makes me laugh

He loves me!

He has 20/20 vision, so he doesn't have to wear these!

hahah- need I say more?!?!?

So strong!

Confident in his man-hood... and in peeing his pants!

Doesn't consider our house to be "divided"

He is willing to accept any type of fancy anniversary dinner!

He lets me win at the Wii

He likes to play in the yard

He decided that I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with! I think he made a good decision!

Spring..Oh Spring.. Where art Thou

I always get an extra burst of energy this time of year- which ususally ends up inspiring me to invent all sorts of "projects" around the house to do. Two years ago, I was right around the corner from falling in love with the most amazing thing that God has ever put in my life- Trey. I had gotten a bunch of irises and buttercup plants from Gran's house after her passing in January 2009, and was transplanting them all over the yard- hoping they would be as beautiful in my yard as they were in hers. I was also repainting the exterior of the house, and re-doing the patio furniture Amanda (Maynard) Brown had passed down to me after our year spent on Mud Island- the white wicker had to go, and it became chocolate brown- and then last year it became a darker brown-grey metallic color which looked better and less splotchy. Two years ago, I was also actively training for my first half marathon. Last year, Trey was putting up new shutters and I was ripping out monkey grass from the front, planting seeds in cute little biodegradeable cuplet things and letting them grow- and looking forward to every sunny day so I could put them outside, covered in their little clear wrap, and let them germinate and do this crazy green house effect thing onto the clear wrap. I was determined to turn into some urban housewife gardener person who would grow fat squash, canteloupe, tomatoes, peppers, and wow all my friends with my green thumb. The plants grew, for a while, and then the historically hot Memphis summer hit and ultimately killed my veggies and my dreams of urban-gardener-wifeness.  Alas, local farmers selling their goods at Easy Way got mucho business from me! The morning glories, however, took over and I ultimately killed them myself so myself and any visitors to my house could walk the walkway to the front door. The gerbera daisies, irises, hostas, and whatever else I planted did well- just not the edible plants. And the husband was much relieved with the water bill once I gave up trying to salvage my poor puny veggies. Oh, and we also replaced the attic ladder, so now there is no fear of decapitation or irreversible facial damage everytime the door is pulled open and the ladder is let down. It is still unpainted, and a very nice shade of construction wood - so add that the list of this years "to-do's"...which brings me to...

What is in store for this overly-excited-ambitious-energetic-project-crazed housewife this year??
1. Paint the attic ladder door.
2. Paint the hallway- just want a new color!! Thinking more brownish instead of yellow...
3. Repaint the trim throughout the house- it's chipped and in neeed of a facelift.
4. REMODEL THE KITCHEN- well- rip out cabinets and countertops and replace the sink... some of this depends on Uncle Sam and how nice he is with our tax return...
5. Ripping out the rest of the monkey grass and giving it to Susan, my mother-in-law, and Kate soon-to-be-Shelton across the street.
6. Running another half marathon, although I have been less than invigorated about my training this year, which leaves me a little worried... hoping when the weather warms up for good, I'll get a burst of energy!
7. Maybe trying my hand at gardening again...maybe...

In the meantime, it's March and it's still cold and I'm over it- So I'll just look at pictures of my hard work from last year and hopefully get inspired!

The monkey grass that remains here will be ripped up soon!

One of Gran's irises

More of Gran's irises

The hostas that were out of control...the black eyed susans had not bloomed yet- there were also out of control!

My beautiful azaleas!

On the right, the little morning glories that replaced the monkey grass. They also got ripped out when they took over everything and grew almost to the other side of the walkway

Lamb's Ear..and more of Gran's irises

Beautiful rose bush in the backyard

Daisies! and the lilies before they bloomed bright orange and yellow

Gran's irises

The squash and pepper plants..before the sun and heat murdered them.