Thursday, June 3, 2010

Happy ONE MONTH anniversary, Jen and Patrick!






Oh What a NIGHT! Never have I seen my daughter, Jennifer so happy as she was on the day of her wedding. Such a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. We had so much fun...dancing and letting our hair down.

Jennifer and Patrick came home over Memorial Weekend...and are now back in Chicago. Jennifer is getting adjusted to living in a big city, being a wife and setting up their beautiful new home. She's been painting the boring white walls in their condo...I cannot wait to go visit them so I can see what she's transformed their place into. It gives me such joy to see them finally together, where they can start their exciting new life together. Although I miss her dearly, I realize she's always just a phonecall away...makes me wonder: How can a person be so happy and so sad at the same time?

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

It's a slow fade


Lyrics from Casting Crowns

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It’s a slow fade, it’s a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day


The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you’re thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking



It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day.


Wow. How true this is.

“Slow Fade” is performed by Casting Crowns. This song carries a profound message as it speaks about how it has become more and more common for Christians to become morally compromised. The lyrics have a certain level of simplicity and innocence yet they carry deep meaning, describing how small steps of compromise, though seemingly unimportant, transition into deeper and more serious sins. The lines “The journey from your mind to your hands is shorter than you’re thinking, be careful if you think you stand you just might be sinking” describe how though we may not immediately feel the effects of our wrongdoings, they add up, and before you know it, you are too engulfed in your sins to get out.


The Message

Mark Hall, the lead singer for Casting Crowns, wrote a small piece about the song and its meaning on the band’s website: ”People don’t crumble in a day. You don’t fall, you fade. In your mind, there’s that pride that says ‘I’d never do that’… but you don’t just do it, it’s a slow, series of compromises, little ones that go there eventually, until you’re sitting in a place you’d never go, doing something you’d’ never do… and yet the way you’re living totally makes sense to you somehow because you’re so numb…
This song was inspired by the spreading cancer of moral failure in the fathers of this generation. As believers, we must guard our hearts and understand that no one crashes and burns. They just slowly fade away one little compromise at a time.”

Finally…

This song is a clear reminder that as Christians we cannot let down our guard under any circumstance. There are constant and daily attempts to undermine our belief and moral standing, and we must not compromise in the least. As portrayed in the music video, even the smallest of things can start a downhill slide into committing more grievous sins. It is vital that we stand out by remaining firm in our faith and persevering through any temptation or desire to do even the smallest of wrongs.
(from interhigh.org- april 17)

Friday, May 7, 2010

Jacob at Prom









Thought I'd post an adorable picture of my "LITTLE BOY" with his lovely and adorable girlfriend, Aubrey...who happens to be celebrating her 18th birthday today. I made her some babycakes for Jacob to give to her tonight.

Sigh. What happened to my little boy?

Monday, May 3, 2010

Just married


click on photo to enlarge

I'm still recovering from the beautiful and amazing wedding of Jennifer and Patrick this Saturday...their awesome photographer (Amy Carroll) posted this pic on her blog to share.

Patrick's dad surprised them with a Rolls Royce awaiting their departure from the church. A doctor who has a passion for old classics dresses up in a suitcoat and tophat to take the newleyweds for a spin around town. What a classy touch!

...and how about that daughter of mine? Wasn't she just positively glowing?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Is this your daughter?




While in Chicago two weeks ago, we took a drive down the "Magnificent Mile"...looking at the buildings and the people bustling down the sidewalks...everyone in their own little world, self-absorbed with their own thoughts.

While we were stopped in traffic, I took an opportunity to snap photos of buildings and soon realized right in front of me was a homeless woman sitting on the sidewalk. She quickly hung her head in shame while I was snapping photos of the Chicago skyline...and then, I snapped her picture. I was compelled to for some strange reason. Probably because she didn't look like my image of a homeless person.
Probably because I didn't want to stare, even though I wanted to read her sign...because I suddenly realized this young woman so lost and alone was somebody's daughter and it broke.my.heart.

As we drove away, I reviewed the picture to read what the sign said...and then I zoomed in on that face. That face of the snapshot of her with her kitty attached to her sign vs. that face sitting on the sidewalk before me were two very different faces. The photograph told the story. Something changed her life drastically to give her the look she had on her face that day. And suddenly I wanted to know her story, her name...I wanted to know if she had a fight with her mom and tried to make it on her own...if she went to college and was truly struggling to make it in this world, unable to find a job, if she was mentally ill, with bipolar or some other personality disorder, if she was messed up in drugs or lived a life of abuse...I wanted to reach out and do something...as we drove away I felt a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt the pain of a mother who lost her daughter.

...and on that sobering note, I feel almost ashamed to talk about how we only have 4 days before Jennifer and Patrick's wedding. Next week at this time, they will be in Hawaii on their honeymoon and starting their new, exciting life together in Chicago. Instead of losing a daughter, I gain a son...

As I scrub my floors and bathrooms, preparing my home for this wedding, I will think of that FACE, and be humbled.

Monday, April 5, 2010

an Easter Lesson in Love



We woke up on Easter morning to an interesting sight. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Duck were floating on the water of our pool cover. They bathed, they splashed, they flirted. It was a little like spying on a young couple in love. Nothing bothered them, not even Duke, our wonderdog. He barked and they didn't even flinch. Mr. Crow, (who uses our pool like a big soup bowl to dip his stale bread in...)arrived with his usual hunk of crusty roll. The Mallards weren't going to have any newcomers join in their "spa day". Mrs. Mallard squawked the menacing black crow over to the other side where he quickly soaked his bread and went on his merry way.

The Mallards finally got out of the pool and hung out in our back yard for quite some time, then flew away.

This morning they were back, languishing in the pool, and as endearing as it was, I suddenly feared they were in their mating season and hoped they weren't going to decide to nest in my back yard.

Of course I had to do a background check on the newcomers (via google) and discovered that indeed the beginning of April is their mating season. Interesting tidbit of information: When the mallard duck choses a mate, they mate for life! What a beautiful display of fidelity.

God never ceases to amaze me.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Tossed into the Abyss


I was trying to change the background on my blogger account last night and somehow I deleted my profile instead. Everything I had stated and believed in has been tossed into the abyss...never to return.

Oh I could try and re-write it...but somehow, I think I'd fall short. I guess I've lost my inspiration. I'm defeated. Blogger kicked my ass and now I can't get back up enough strength to land another punch. I have NO CLUE what I did...I tried on a bunch of new looks and instead my profile disappeared. And I'm still wearing the same outfit. How on earth did I spend all that time trying to fix something and end up back where I started?

Hmmm...
words to ponder.