Sweet dreams? Maybe someday....

Rocky Mountain Mattress (http://www.rockymountainmattress.com) is looking for "The Ugliest Mattress in America". I'm not quite sure if I qualify because my bed isn't necessarily ugly, and it really isn't a mattress. But let me tell you my story. You can decide for yourself.

My husband and I sleep on "full size" futon mattress (I think that is an oxymoron!). The futon frame broke about year ago, so we top of futon (minus the stand) is on the floor, covered by the futon "mattress". This is covered by not one, not two, but three memory foam mattress toppers. The "bed" rests a total of about 6 o r 7 inches from the ground. Yep. It's a blast to crawl out of in the morning!

As if that isn't enough, two of our children (age 2 and 4) decided to join us most nights/early mornings. As you can see from the picture in my last blog entry, neither my husband or I are small people. Add a couple of little ones, and space quickly disappears.

Over the almost 21 years we've been married, we've spent a lot of time on less than desirable beds. When we got to college, we bought a King Sized Waterbed! The store offered any size bed for the same prize, so we went for the big one! We hauled that bed (with 12 drawers and a a massive headboard) to about a dozen moves in three states. After about a decade, we gave it up, and we spent the next few years on various inflatable mattresses. We tried the fancy name brand ones. We tried single layers, double thick ones, and we even stacked three mattresses high. (That lasted about 2 nights!)

It is definitely time for a real bed. My husband suffers from chronic migraines and often spends several days in a row in bed. He also has fibromyalgia. I would love to win a new, comfortable bed where he can get some good rest. Who knows? Maybe the Rendezvous memory foam mattress will even help his migraines!

Pictures December 2007

Family picture (not great, but we are all there!)


John and I


The kids:
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Chewy (10)


Crunchy (4 1/2)


Munchie (2 1/2)
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You've been carded

I saw this on another website (http://creativetree.typepad.com/treeswingreading/), and I thought I'd try it.

Ronie Kendig altered this CARDED meme to include a Spiritual Wish list so we can know how to pray for each other, both spiritually and physically. Isn’t that a great idea?


THE RULES:

1. Each player starts with 5 gifts that they would want for Christmas.
2. People who are "CARDED" need to write their own Blog about their 5 things & post these rules.
3. At the end of your Blog, you need to choose 5 people to get "CARDED" and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a COMMENT telling them they're "CARDED", and to read your Blog.


My Materialistic Gift/Wish List:
1. An IPod
2. A new wedding ring (I lost mine a couple of years ago)
3. A pedicure
4. A full body massage
5. Singing lessons


My Spiritual Gift/Wish List:
1. Discipline to maintain a consistent time of personal devotions.
2. Opportunity to serve in ministry.
3. Be a godly example to my children.
4. To serve my husband with a joyful heart.
5. To be more concerned about what my Father thinks of me, than what my co-workers think of me.

The people I have carded:
1. Rebecca/JaeByrd's Nest (http://www.rebekahstaggs.com/)
2. Jenni/Saake Family (http://saakefamily.blogspot.com/)
3. Melody/With the Fruit of Her Hands (http://blog.yorkteachingstudio.com/)
4. Allisoin/Portrait of a Family (http://babytangerine.blogspot.com/)
5. Renee/Life of the Deans (http://www.thelifeofthedeans.blogspot.com/)

Lightning Rod vs. "Venting"

When I shared my "Lightning Rod" post with some friends, someone mentioned the danger of venting. She had a good point. Too often we want to "let off steam" and use that as an excuse to spew hot steamy gossip or other unfavorable words. I hesitated to use the word "vent" in my post because that wasn't quite the word I wanted.

One definition of "vent" is "To release or discharge (steam, for example) through an opening." Venting can be good. In cooking, when you vent, you let out some of the steam to keep a pan from overheating and hot juice or steam from coming out and burning you. I have a piece of microwave Tupperware ("the Tupperwave") that has a loose fitting lid. Before I remove the lid, I turn it 1/4 turn to "vent" the steam. If I forget and just take the lid off, I will have a face full of steam---and possibly even burn myself.

But, even venting can cause one to be burned. If I turn the lid, but stand too close, I can still get burnt. Venting needs to be done with caution and care. Also, some containers can not hold the heat and pressure of a vent. They will melt in the process.

The same is true when venting about life. If I am venting without paying attention to who or what is nearby, someone could get hurt. I need to be careful to watch and see what is around me. I need to choose who I vent to. I may feel better after I let it all out, but have I left my friend feeling burned, or even melted, under the weight of my vent?

I don't want to be like a volcano that vents and spews hot, steamy lava with no concern for who or what is in my path.

Do you have a lightning rod?

I know, that's a strange question. Most of us don't live in tall buildings where lightning it likely to strike. According to the American Heritage Science Dictionary (gotta love Google!), A lightning rod is "a grounded metal rod placed high on a structure to conduct electrical current from a lightning strike directly to the ground, preventing the currents from injuring people or animals or from damaging objects."

What does that have to do with you? Recently, I heard a speaker* talk about how to survive (and thrive) in ministry. There were many good points to his sermon:

* Know what fills your tank and what drains. For example, If playing basketball fills your tank, make sure you take time to play when you are busy and/or stressed. It will fill your tank. When your tank is full, you can give more.

* Understand the principle of a fulcrum. A balanced life does not mean equal "things" on each side. At times, when the pressure is greater on one side, you need to move the fulcrum to that side. Later, when the pressure eases, you can slide the fulcrum back to the the center (or the other edge).

* Lead out of rest. Plan periods of rest into your schedule BEFORE your schedule gets full. If you are tired, you will make bad decisions.

These were all great pieces of insight, but the one that struck me most was to have a lightning rod. Lightning rods are placed on top of tall buildings to take the brunt of a lightning strike. The lightning rod prevents injury and destruction to things around them.

Okay, so what does that have to do with anything? In this case, a lightning rod is someone we can go to who can absorb the shock and heat of our troubles and ground them for us. This person can listen to us vent without trying to "fix" everything. This person prevents us from bringing hurt and destruction to those around us.

Like most women, I tend to process things verbally. When I speak about what's bothering me, I tend to feel better---even if the situation hasn't changed. Sometimes my answer comes while I'm talking it out. But I have to be careful who I talk to. If I share with my husband, he wants to fix it. (In his words, men were created to build and protect. If they can't build or protect, they want to ignore or destroy.) My lightning rod also needs to be someone who can freely share with me. If she acts as my lightning rod, with no outlet, she will soon burn up.

Since hearing this sermon, I've been thinking a lot. There is so much of my life that I don't feel comfortable sharing with people. I don't want to be vulnerable. I don't want to appear weak. But I know I need this release valve in my life. I have found a friend that I believe is going to be a good lightning rod. (And she has agreed to serve as one!) I've been a lightning rod, of sorts, for her over the past 3 years, but I haven't been willing to trust her with my lightning strikes. This week, I took a step of faith and invited her to share more deeply in my life.

That old proverb is true: A burden shared is lighter.







*Wayne Cordeiro, pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii. No. I wasn't IN Hawaii. I watched via DVD! (Bummer, I know!)

Chewie came in at 12:00 on the nose and said.....

"I'm 10!" Apparently my quiet boy was not sleeping, but waiting to turn double digits. Daddy and I wished him a happy birthday and sent him back to bed! This morning, he's been a bear to wake up! UGH!!

Wow! 10 years! Where did the time go?!?! I can still remember the phone call asking us if we'd like to adopt a baby boy who had been born that morning. On the way to the hospital to pick him up, John asked me, "Are you ready for the next 20 years of our lives to pass like that {finger snap}?" We are halfway there! Soon we'll be going from legos and toy cars to girls and driving cars. Before we know it, he'll be graduating high school, going to college, getting married, and bringing us grandkids (hopefully in that order!)

But, I'm not going to get lost in the "what if's" of the future. I'm going to focus on my 10 year old. My boy who loves to play with his younger brother and sister. My boy who slept in his sister's room for two weeks because she didn't want to be alone. My boy who isn't afraid to give his Mama a hug (as long as his friends are watching!) My boy who tries to fix things when Mom is having a bad day. My boy who is starting to sing out loud to the radio. (I love to hear him sing his favorite song: Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone!)

I'll take Matthew's advice: Don't be anxious for tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough trouble of it's own. Today, I will celebrate my son.