Never Ever Dull
With every conversation, I always seem to end with "Never a dull moment"....our lives are rich, complex, and beautiful stories. Join me in laughing about everyday things and appreciating life-bumpy roads and all.
As we prepared for our Christmas Eve service, my Oldest could still remember one particular message shared years ago. I knew which one. It had a huge impact on me as well... ******************************************************** We sat waiting for Chris to deliver the special message to his newly planted church in Charlottesville. The pastor began talking about superheroes and sharing the history behind them. I questioned mentally where he was going. I knew he was young, in his 20's, hip, very cool, .but seriously, superheroes?! I'm trying to keep my kiddos focused on the true meaning of Christmas not fictitious cartoon characters. But it was a message that made an impression on my daughter who can still quote from his talk. Chris briefed everyone on the history of Superman. and other comic heroes Superman, one of the all time greats, was created in 1939. What was happening in 1939? A lot. Our nation heard Orson Welles broadcast on the radio The War of the Worlds creating a nervous frenzy, the Great Depression was resulting in massive unemployment in the United States and the economy was plummeting in Europe. Adolf Hitler's popularity was growing as people began to be persecuted in Germany. Yet, Superman became one of the first great superheroes ever created when all of this was going on.. A year later, Captain America, Batman and Robin, and the Green Lantern all hit the news stands with unbelievable success. Why? The world seemed on the brink of disaster financially and politically. War seemed imminent. Panic and fear were sweeping across our world. People wanted a superhero to rescue them from a world that was falling apart. They wanted a savior. Superheroes were there to provide a rescue of some sorts if only in the imaginations of the people. But people still remain hungry for a savior. In the movie, Superman Returns (2006), a pivotal point occurs with this dialogue: as Superman takes Lois on a flight around the city: Superman: Listen; what do you hear? Lois Lane: Nothing. Superman: I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one.*** Recently, I've noticed a resurgence of these superheroes. Disney has too. In 2015, Disney's earnings increased 22% from the previous year, largely in part to its newly released movies featuring Marvel superheroes. (Fortune Magazine) Again, our world is searching for a superhero. A hero that can save us from the things that are flailing and failing in our world: the lack of direction for the United States-Trump or Hillary, ISIS, divorces, cancer, broken relationships, random shootings, and natural disasters. Our world is searching desperately to find someone to rescue us. Yet, I don't think Batman or Superman can save us. Our world does need a savior....but I agree with what Chris shared in his Christmas Eve message eight years ago: The one who can save us is really the Savior and He came 2,000 years ago. .He heard our cries and is very ready to be the real rescuer, the real Super Hero. ***Link to Superman Returns clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaNs83nOby4
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Thud! Me: I'm not going to look. But...could someone please tell me what just happened? The Oldest: A tennis ball just fell out of our Christmas tree!!!! (as she laughs hysterically!) A boy: Oh. That's where it went. I threw that ball for Banks and he never brought it back to me. ...and so it goes at our house. Christmas time and pretty much every day of the year. Recently, my sister-in-law plopped down into one of our chairs. We were chatting away. It was a beautiful day and I had opened the door to the backyard so my puppy could come in and out, enjoying the amazing tropical temps we were experiencing here in the South during December. Banks walks in with a sock. My sister-in-law, Always Organized, observes this and lets me know my puppy is carrying in a sock that he brought in from the outside. I nod and explain his crazy affection for boy athletic socks. Banks drops the sock and returns to his yard. Moments later, Always Organized notices that my furry pet is now carrying a black plastic drain pipe. Yep. I share that he really likes to munch on crunchy items. We go on with our conversation, but then Banks again rushes past us with a brown thing dangling from his mouth. Yes, I do realize it may resemble a dead animal but quickly clarify that it's a very deflated football that Banks has recently learned to catch (I think he secretly dreams of being a receiver on one of the boy's football teams.) Always Organized looks at me and states, "You just love chaos." Er....that's chaos?! I didn't see anything the least bit chaotic. But, I get it. Our life is always humming with activity and I guess it can look crazy to others.. I just look at it that we have our own rhythm...and it works. ....But maybe that's why my Oldest quickly rushed out the door tonight when a "friend" came to take her to a movie. I encouraged her to bring her "friend" into the house....but she just said, "No, that's okay." and ran, bolted, and sprinted to the car that had just pulled into our driveway. Hmmmm...our family definitely has our own beat (and that's not just from tennis balls falling from our Christmas tree!). The doorbell rang. It was 2010, and the kids and I were upstairs enjoying a movie on Christmas Eve. We were in our historic home in Franklin, Tennessee, hundreds of miles from family. Who would come see us on Christmas Eve? I knew. A couple of weeks before, I had been contacted by someone who wanted to remain anonymous. This person had been given my name when he asked some community folks about who was in need during this time of year. It had been shared that I was experiencing a rough season (just through a sad divorce situation, a flood, my father's passing that had just occurred, raising four kiddos solo-style in a state that I had just moved to). Yep, poster child for "she's in need" right there. When I first got the email about someone desiring to bless my family, I replied "no thanks" without hesitation. I acknowledged that this kind person wanted to extend grace and love to me, but I didn't want it. In fact, I've always been the one to give. It felt so beneath me to even read that email. Uncomfortable. Weird. Strangers wanting to help me. I could handle this. Yeeesch. I confided to a dear friend who knew all that had been going on in my life. He advised me to let this person do it: go out and buy gifts for my family. "Let someone do this for you." What?! I balked at the whole idea. Time went by and I was contacted again. Same person. I gave it more thought. I realized it was an issue of pride. I didn't want help from anyone because it would show that I was weak, didn't have it all together, and I would not even be close to winning that "mom-of-the-year" award that I always strive to win. It was a mental battlefield. I relented. I caved. The kids turned the glass knob of our 1912 arts and crafts door to find our wide porch full of presents, wrapped with names written on each individual gift tag. They found things they needed and many extra surprises. There were smiles, laughter, and awe as they unwrapped the gifts. I blinked back tears and joined my kids as we ripped through gift wrap. The anonymous donor watched from down the street and thanked me in an email for blessing him and his entire family. I learned a lot that evening and still look back at that event. I had to acknowledge I did need help and swallow some pride. I realized it's ok to let someone shower, really pour, blessings on us. I never wanted to be in that position but realize that God places people in our lives to love on us and for us to love on them. Those blessings helped me stand on my own two feet again and gave me the confidence to keep walking. It blessed the family who really wanted to give that Christmas. One of my favorite mentors, Peggy, taught me that sometimes you need to be willing to receive and allow others in....not to be a stone fortress barricading others from entering your life. Sometimes, the best gift you can give is to receive. That kind of giving can bless others as well. When I first saw his eyes, I knew: he was the one. He was underweight, so very slender. I could scoop him up with one arm as if he was simply a bag of marshmallows. He had patches of brittle hair and then countless bald spots. His head was flattened in the back from all the time he spent in a crib without being picked up and held. His skin was splotchy with scabies (not scurvy-that's what the pirates had!).. He had strabismus, a condition that made him look cross-eyed with his lazy eye straying outwards with a glassy look. ' We adopted Ruslan when he was 4 1/2 years old from Karaganda, Kazakhstan. We thought he would be excited to leave Nezabudcha and fly across the big pond and become part of lives in Charlottesville. I kept thinking it would be like a scene from one of my favorite movies "Annie". I kept waiting for him to jump up and down with joy. But that didn't happen. He was hesitant to leave the world he knew-potatoes, carrots, & a biscuit every day, his 13 friends that he shared a room with day and night, and his care givers (who really did care for him as much as they could). You'd think he'd be happy to see that we were opening gigantic doors that would lead him down a path filled with love from friends and family, doctors who could help him, and a better life. You'd think that.... But my KazKid didn't. He fought me hard, head-butting, nails digging into me as I tried to hug him and show him love.for those first 12 long months. He just didn't understand...yet. It's been a journey for all of us, but I get it. I can relate to how he felt in some ways. You see, when I think about my heavenly Father, I see how he "adopted" me, a very imperfect person, As I look to Him, I can doubt if He really knows what's best. To be honest, I fight and resist too. I can't "see" what's best and can easily slide back to my former ways, handling life as I know it and as I think it should be. There are many parallels with adoption and our relationship with God.. Both adoption journeys can be bumpy but the more we trust and are willing to draw close, the more we understand how beautiful our lives can really be. |
AuthorFun-loving mom to 4 kids and 1 big puppy. Fifth grade teacher of amazing little people who have never ending things to share with me. Love to discuss Jesus, diy projects, and life. Trying to keep it simple: Love Jesus, love people. Archives
December 2021
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