This Reminds Me

Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

This Reminds Me has been quiet these first few weeks of January.  Keith had four disks in his neck fused January 7, and it’s taken most of my energy just to keep the train on track at home.   I’ve posted his surgical and recuperation news on Facebook, but somehow blogging seemed too daunting with single-parent responsibilities and a full workday.

Facebook was a great vehicle for updating Keith’s friends and family.  By tagging him in photos, my updates posted not only to my wall, but also to his.  Last Friday, he was fitted with an electromagnetic “shock collar” to help stimulate bone regeneration in his neck – that post prompted lots of comments.  He’ll wear the collar four hours a day for five months, so there’s still plenty of time to send him your tacky remarks.

My Women on Wednesday bible study class just started a great book - Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World.  I know it’s great, because it makes me squirm.  I am – without a doubt – the most “Martha” of all women.   This last few weeks have proven it.  Very few things have fallen through the cracks.   Our laundry has been done, meals made, school papers signed, games cheered, prescriptions filled and medicines administered.  According to First Rebecca 1:23, “Yea, verily, all thou hast needed to do, thou hast done.”

Except….well, to stick my neck out here…..what Jesus called the “better” choice. I haven’t spent much time at the feet of the Savior.  While I’ve read my bible, I can’t say I’ve pondered the verses.  Yes, I’ve worshiped – but I’ve had to work at not letting my mind and spirit wander.  Yes, I thanked God for Keith’s successful surgery – but I’ve spent more time fretting about bills.

I am very, very thankful for Keith’s successful surgery, and committed to helping him stay on the healing path.   He’s come so far – we’re not messing it up now with anything silly like “not wearing the brace,” or “sneaking in a trip to Home Depot” or whatever.   He needs to keep his neck in that brace with that stimulator humming four hours a day.

So while his necks heals – I need to remember to seek the better choice.

And I’m sticking my neck out by saying so.

We’ve had a great week here with a quick trip to Houston to see the cousins…….

(clockwise) Hannah, 15; James, 3; Lois, 17; Rachel, 19; Laura, 7; Julia, 10

…and visit Bucee on the way to and the way home from Houston.  Hannah was sporting one of her (many) Buckee’s shirts while shopping in the store, which I understand is an apparel faux pas.   They let her in anyway.

When you see the billboards, you might as well sigh and say “Oh, dam” – because you’re stopping for the beaver.  No way around it.
I’ve always been a believer in “wearing them out” on Christmas Eve so they’ll go to sleep and Santa can come.  So today it was two games of laser tag, with a mechanical sketch before the zapping began.

We’ll be off to the Christmas Eve service soon, and watch The Nativity after we get home.

There are no “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” in our house.  But we do wish you a…

Merry Christmas!

And to all a good night.

K-Love 91.3 and Samaritan’s Purse – Operation Christmas Child hosted their first-ever city-wide San Antonio shoebox packing party today in the the gym of Shearer Hills Baptist Church.

Until six years ago, I listened to gospel and traditional hymns exclusively.  Mercy Me won me over with “Spoken For” – now I like a mix.  K-Love plays contemporary music only, so I have to rely on my CD’s and MP3′s for doses of the Abyssinian Baptist Choir,  Uncle Dave Macon, Acapella,  etc.

More than 400 volunteers dropped off packed shoe boxes, or packed a few on-site.  We also crated boxes dropped-off earlier.

Look familiar? We could fit 13 of the nicest plastic boxes in a carton, or 22 of the fold-out, red’n'green Samaritan’s Purse paper shoe boxes.  I just hate paper shoe boxes because they simply cannot last – and they sure can’t haul water.   I’ve written to Samaritan’s Purse twice suggesting they create a joint marketing agreement with a plastic shoe box manufacturer, like Sterlite or Rubbermaid.  Co-brand the shoe boxes – and tell us where to buy them.  Make sure that co-brand includes the URL of Operation Christmas Child. Then design the packing carton to hold ‘x’ boxes packed ‘this way.’  Sigh.  Maybe the third time’s the charm?  I’ll write again this week.  Franklin Graham called me once – maybe he will again.   

When I wasn’t making a nuisance of myself with the camera, I helped assemble and fill crates with finished boxes. The crates go to the warehouse to be packed on 18-wheelers bound for Denver.  In Denver, each box will be briefly examined, then a small story book of the real Christmas story – in the intended child’s language – goes in the top of each box.  From Denver – our boxes could go anywhere Samaritan’s Purse works.  We know they’ve been to Eastern Europe and Mexico.

K-Love listeners started showing up a few minutes before the broadcast start time of 10 a.m., and were still coming at the official finish time – 12N.   Scout troops, high school clubs, families with children of all ages – they just kept coming, eager to help.  One woman came in to drop off a lovely scarf her very ill daughter had knitted.  “Please make sure this gets packed.  Please.”  It did.

I told the assignment coordinator – “My daughter has done every job you’ve got for years.  Give her anything.”  Hannah unpacked mounds of costume jewelry, and bagged pieces in draw-string, glittery bags.  She was forever motioning me over to her table.  “Mom, someone put some toothbrushes in here.  Go give these to the toiletry table.”  “Mom, I need scissors to cut these packages.”  On my way, Hannah, on my way!

K-Love stopped everyone about every 30 minutes for prayer.

And they’re outta here!  How many packed/crated today?  I don’t know yet.  Hundreds, certainly.

What’s riding in the back of that truck is Christmas – the whole thing – for hundreds of children all over the world who cannot possibly repay anyone for the bit of joy they will receive.

Joy to the world.

Yep.  I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.   

Yesterday afternoon – thanks to my good friend Renee and her two kiddos – we finished packing Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.

Last night, we did one last quality check as we label-taped, banded, stacked and tallied the shoe boxes.  Rachel also crushed/cut all the cardboard storage/shipment boxes for recycling.  (“Mom, how many ARE there?”)

The final count:

Total:  130 boxes!  Julia was pleased, because she felt compelled to top the 117 boxes from last year.   I love it – but I don’t feel compelled.  I think we’ll do as many as we’re supposed to do.  (But the bigger number did make me smile.)

To get them to church this morning, we had to fill Rachel’s trunk….

….plus my hatch and back seat.  Lois drove the van to church, by the way.  She’ll be getting her license soon.  Then she can run errands for her sainted mother.  I’m sure that will please her as much as it does Rachel.

Everybody got to help carry.  Several friends grabbed one or two (or five or six) on their way into the building.  Julia did more “running” this season than did any of us.  She carried at least 100 of the 130 boxes downstairs to the dining room table.  Plus she’s turned into a good little bargain hunter.  (“Mom – for the kids?”)  Quite a change from the child who - in 2006 – could barely stand to give anything away.

Hannah stacked them all in the Welcome Center, sorting by box type.  We’ve learned over the years to stack by box type – less likely to topple.  Last night I removed every single leftover box from Rubbermaid cabinets where I shove this stuff all year.  I matched boxes and lids, some of which – because we use boxes to store, too – were a decade old.  Any unmatched lids/boxes got tossed. I bagged identical lids, and set them inside the matching boxes to store for next year.  In 2011, we’re going to use these “stray” boxes first.  Container Store and Costco/Sam’s boxes really are the best – clearest, thickest plastic with tightest-fitting lids.

Thanks again to everyone who’s helped provide a gift for a needy child this year.

You know who you are.

You don’t get anything in return.  No lovely hand-written note, no plaque with your name on it, no gushy speech.

But you know.

And I am humbled and thankful to know you.