That Sparkle in His Eye

I just had a conversation with my Grandmother about my brother Sam. We have both been praying for him for so long, that it is still hard to believe that our prayers have been not only been answered, but they have exceeded out wildest imaginations. I had shared with her my conversation with him on Mothers Day, and how it was REALLY him I was speaking to...not some shell of my brother...but really him. She told me that when she saw this photo of him, that she felt the exact same way...that Sam was back. She could see it in his eyes. I knew exactly what she was talking about, so I wanted to share it with you and give God some glory.

The sparkle in his eye is not a sparkle at all. It is LIFE!!! He has his life back, and we as a family will be forever grateful.

Catching up

Hello there, you long lost and deserted friends. I am the worst kind of blogger, I know. Somehow, selfishly I let my life get in the way of our relationship and I am truly sorry. Here is quick re-cap of our last week.

Thursday: I spent the entire day in the ER. I know it was inconsiderate of me not to bring you all along for the ride. But believe me, there where things happening in that exam room that you REALLY did not want to be a part of. In the end, it was a mystery illness, and although they wanted to admit me for overnight observation, I opted for my own bed.

Friday: Mostly spent recovering from a fore mentioned mystery illness. Then, eventually got with the program and got the family all packed for our weekend away. Somehow, everyone had plenty of underwear. That evening, we went to Jared's ballgame, funny, but I can not remember if we won or lost. Then we hit the road and headed to the outlaws house.

Saturday: The kids and Jeff spent the day in the pool, I spent the morning sleeping and eventually made an appearance. The pool felt great, and just being away from our own house was vacation in itself. We played "Marco-Polo" ALL DAY...every couple of hours changing the rules to spice it up some.

Sunday: re-read Saturday except add me to the entire days activities.

Monday: re-read Sunday.

Tuesday: Re-read Monday, but add a shopping trip by my lonesome. I went to Michael's to get all the stuff for camp in a few weeks. I am in charge of crafts...and on a side note I am really NOT that crafty. So I will keep you updated on that. After I returned, we made one last dash for the pool and ended of course with Marco Polo. Then we loaded up the van and headed for home...with a stop at Starbucks on the way. We got back into town just in time for Jared's ball game, it was good one. We were down 2-0 the whole game until the 5th inning...Jared tied the game with a beautiful hit, and then we kept it going and ended up winning 4-3. Good times!!!

Starbucks side note: I am a bargain shopaholic. I can feed me and the kids on the McD's dollar menu for less than ten bucks. I never pay full price for anything that I can wait on, and then get on sale. I am known for going into Dillards(which I could not afford at retail price) and get $700 worth of clothing at 75% off for less than a hundred bucks and then have the kids summer clothes for next year...and vice-versa for winter. So, when the opportunity arises to indulge at Starbucks...I do on occasion. That has since taken a whole new meaning since all the kids now have their favorites too. So, a few times a year, I go from feeding the fam at McD's for less than 10 bucks to getting Blended Cremes and Frappacinos for twenty....not including the husband who swears that he would have to physically stop being a man to order a drink that you can not get in a small, med or large. He swears it is un-American to say"tall, grande or viente" Never a dull moment.

Here's to many more Summer Days...especially, since today I am house bound cleaning the castle.

Tuesday

Tragic Loss

Pray for Steven Curtis Chapman’s Family May 21, 2008 •

The Tennessean is reporting tonight…
Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child
died Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a car driven by her teenage
brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.
Maria, one of
the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt
Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman
for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

What a tragedy. SCC is truely one of the good guys. Pray for their family as they journey down this path of loss.

Top 10 for 5/16/08

10. Having a fight with my husband, that turned into a really meaningful conversation.
9. My Mother's Day present...A HUGE COFFEE CUP planter...it is so me!!!
8. Going to the grocery store, spending $46 and saving $39.
7. Pomegranate Mango body wash.
6. Watching the Beez eat FIVE artichokes the other night!!!! It was amazing...I was very proud.
5. Overtime. Enough said.
4. No Baseball games Monday or Tuesday which meant we were home two night in a row!!!
3. A long and beautiful rain shower on Thursday.
2. Going to see Prince Caspian TODAY!!!!
1. Sam, gosh I love him.

Unexpected Joy

A few weeks ago my sister and I got up early and headed out to go bargain hunting. She was looking for a bed for The Beast, and I was up for the field trip. As we headed down the highway, we came upon a man out jogging. He was just about to cross the road when we noticed that he had a bouquet of wild flowers in his hand. We both gushed, knowing that he had picked them along his run, and was most likely going to hand them over to his beloved upon his return home.

I remember those days...not that my husband went running, but he did on MANY occasion surprise me with flowers that he picked himself. These days, my kids are the ones who bring me flowers freshly picked. (He taught them well!) And, I am surprised in others ways, by my beloved. After 13 years, flowers just don't do it, but I love when a simple gesture is made on my behalf. Especially, when it is something I mentioned in passing, or him simply doing a chore I hate.

A few weeks ago, after much rain, I noticed that our back yard looked more like a meadow, than a yard. All sorts of clover and random little white flowers were spread beautifully between the house and my garden. When my husband said he was going to mow the back, I told him how Micah and I had been running and skipping through the meadow everyday, and loving it.
He went out and got started and then called me outside about an hour later. He said, "what do you think?" I couldn't believe my eyes. He mowed the entire yard but kept my "meadow". There it was, a rectangular meadow, probably 10X20 right smack in the middle of his precious grass.

I was so happy. It was so strange, yet utterly joyous for me. The UPS man even asked me why our yard was "landscaped" in such a fashion. I smiled and said, "Because my husband enjoys making me happy"

Who would have thought? A patch of weeds to some, but joy to me. I am grateful.

What has your beloved done for you that brought you joy in an unconventional manner?

Slay the fatted calf, my brother is home.

The following was originally posted back in January of this year. My brother Sam, who will be 21 this month has lived a lifetime as an addict...in just 5 years.

My brother Sam is a Meth Addict. He overdosed(which I think is a horrible word because there is no good "dose" when it comes to Meth) on Monday and is detoxing right now in a county facility in California. He is not even 21 yet and he has already been through rehab once. The hallucinations that he has had during the past 48 hours are truly demonic in nature...really scary, and a total reality that my family has to not only live through but witness. The paranoia is unreal...it alone could kill him. My parents are devastated as are all of us who call him brother. This is not a kind drug. It is horrible beyond comprehension. Worse than what you could ever imagine. I believe it is Satan's new drug of choice. It is life altering...brain damage is not unusual...and it actually changes who you are...even when you have come down off of it. It does not discriminate...rich, poor, young or old...the list could go on...it is simply death. Please pray and intercede on behalf of my brother Sam. Pray for his ears to open and his eyes be made to see. May he seek the Lord not to save him from himself but to REDEEM him for eternity. He NEEDS JESUS...and Jesus is so courting him...and we pray that Sam hears and obeys. I am begging you to intercede...please.

Well, while the whole story is far too intricate and long winded to share here, here is the gist of it all. The last two years of high school, for Sam were a blur. I believe mainly using alcohol, he barely kept his head above water, and in the end was expelled from school. (which on a side note, my mom was the principle of, just to complicate things!!!) Within two years he had been busted by the cops for drug use and a DUI, which we all hoped would wake him up. But to no avail. Finally, under pressure from the family, he entered U-Turn for Christ. A drug re-hab for men in SoCal. The program was , I think about three months long. While he made it through the program, and even entered the follow up half-way house...it was short lived. He ended up turning back to addiction, but this time it was gambling and alcohol.

Obviously, during this time, my parents were beside themselves. Sam, being the youngest, has really put them through the ringer. After the episode that landed him in the ER from the OD last January, we all hoped it would be the turning point. Once again, it was not. Each time I have interacted with Sam in the past 5 years, it has been as if it weren't really him. At least, not the Sam I remember. He has been distant at best, and at the worst of it, completely out of his mind.

Then about a month ago, my Dad hopped in Sam's car to crank it, after working on it, and was surprised to hear Christian Radio. He mentioned to me that it gave him hope that the Lord was continuing to deal with Sam in ways, that none of us could even touch.

I love the line from C.S. Lewis in Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Mr Tumnus says of Aslan, "He is not a tame lion." and Lucy replies, "No, but he is good" I have often thought of Sam when I think of Aslan. The giant beast on the move. Wild yet good. The lion and the lamb.

Well, the Lion, has truly been in pursuit. And it seems, like the Prodigal has come home. Sunday, while my family in SoCal gathered for Mother's Day, Sam gave his life to the Lord. My Mom and Sister both said, that for the first time ever, he seems at peace with it. Like, this time, maybe he is done running. Maybe he has finally been captured by grace, and freed from guilt. I can honestly say that I will NEVER forget talking to him that night. For the first time in years, I felt like it was actually Sam on the other end of the line. Not some shell of my brother, but the real thing. He told me he couldn't wait to come out and visit us, and to spend time with us as a family. And my sister , KC that lives here in MS said that for the first time Sam asked her how Kannon(my niece) was. Kannon is 18 months old...KC said it melted he heart that Sam not only asked about Kannon, but actually cared about her.

How blessed we are, to have family that not only loves us, but believes the best for us, and in us.

I can honestly say, that we all believed in Sam, even when he did not believe in himself. And that, while we waited expectantly on the Lord to do a good work through Sam, He did a good work in all of us.

I am blessed today, for I have felt the breath of Aslan, breathing new life into Sam. The roar of the Lion, the comfort of the Lamb.

Please continue to pray for him, for us.

Top 10

Better late than never...here goes.

10. Mowing and weed eating the yard for my husband, who has been working outrageous hours lately.
9. Watching "Enchanted" with my kids, a really cute movie that we all enjoyed.
8. Sunday afternoon with my daughter at the mall, while the "men" all went to the movies together. She is so hilarious about having "gawirl time" (aka girl time)
7. Seeing the hand of God at work.
6. Getting our curriculum for next year...I am really excited about the changes I have made.
5. Finishing a good book.
4. Spending the afternoon at the beach with my kids...twice. Looking forward to many more times this summer. ( I should clarify that we live in 'Small Town' Mississippi, but we live in a private lake community. I spend 8 months out of the year complaining about all the hassles of living in a community governed by an association, but then the summer comes, and I head to the shore and it all seems to fade away.)
3. Heeding my husbands wise counsel which saved me from showing my backside to a whole lot of people, which would not have been good.
2. Burned bridges being restored.
1. Watching Jake lay down a perfect bunt, work the count for a walk, and then hit a sacrifice fly...Yeah for Snake.