A vessel of love

In High School my favorite teacher was Mrs. C. She was my Senior English teacher but we went way back. Her daughter was in daycare with my brother (I'm not positive that I was still there when she was there but that's logistics) and Papa Bear was a teacher at the same school. Anyway, Mrs. C. was the most wonderful teacher. I wasn't the best student my senior year of high school. I had "senioritis" so bad and sometimes was doing my homework as it was supposed to be turned in. Mrs. C. would never get on my case overtly, just subtly and with love. I always knew I was loved by her, especially because I had a nickname..."B". Just "B".

Mrs. C. got sick soon after I graduated high school. She was brave, fought valiantly for life and was successful for years. During that time her daughter, now grown up and with daughters of her own, started working for our church and then attending the church. I would see Mrs. C. at special events and church dinners and she always, always had a smile, a hug, a kiss and a beautiful "Hi B". Even years after High School that "Hi B" spoke volumes and volumes of love.

Mrs. C. died a couple of years ago, way too young. Since that time my friendship with her daughter has grown and grown. A while ago I noticed that she had started calling me "B". It made me stop in my tracks...that one letter of my name was filled with so much love coming from her mom and that same respect and love was shining through her daughter. Every time she says it, it's like Mrs. C. is saying it too and my heart explodes with joy.

Mrs. C's daughter is with me this week in Pearlington. She's very amazing in her own right and has been a joy to be around. Yesterday was her birthday and we went to the beach after working for a little break. I knew that Mrs. C's daughter was missing her mom on her birthday, not to mention her hubby and 3 kids at home and had plans for later that evening to just celebrate her. As the majority of people spilled out onto the beach I noticed that Mrs. C's daughter was holding back. I turned around and yelled out "Come on M, you have to put your toes in the water!". Turns out those words didn't actually come from me. Mrs. C chose that moment to speak words of love to her daughter...and I was humbled to be the vessel.

The toes of Yo Momma, me and M in the Gulf of Mexico

Greetings from Pearlington...

well actually Bay St. Louis. That's where the house that half our Mississippi Team has been staying in is located. It's been a whirlwind of activity the last few days, some of which y'all may be reading on the Mississippi Blog. But things have also been going on in my personal life which have brought stress and disappointment as well as the ego beating talked about previously. Having a credit card number stolen is not something I recommend happening while on a Mission Trip. It's not fun at anytime, but especially in the midst of trip in which one had hoped to use the credit card!

Then there are those things that have brought me great joy...like meeting St. Casserole and Songbird from RevGalBlogPals! I was so honored that they would drive out to Pearlington today to meet-up with me (and send hugs from PG and mom! Hugs right back!). Both are just as lovely as I had figured they would be. Thank you both for coming to Pearlington! I heard they were traveling on to NOLA for another blogger meet up and a maybe a little yarn shop exploration...Yo Momma was especially excited to talk yarn shops.

Being on a trip with 19 people who get along well is also a huge bonus. We've had so much less stress and a LOT more laughter on this trip. I don't think I've laughed this hard on a trip in a long time. The work is has been sporadic but the laughter has been abundant.

I've learned a few things on the journey as well. I was driving around Pearlington today and realized that I was pretty confident about getting places. I knew the roads to take, which way to go, which streets not to stop on the corner on and so on. It really felt like home. And it also dawned on me halfway through the day that Ben is more confident with our group as well. He wasn't around for most of the day, he had things to do, places to go and didn't mind leaving us to do the work. That speaks REALLY highly of the group and how they work.

Most importantly, I realized that I don't have to do everything. It's been freeing to step back and just let whatever is going to happen with things, happen. I'm not worrying about meals, I'm not answering questions that others can answer. I'm just doing what I can do and not worrying about doing more. That whole "walk humbly with your God" thing in Micah (our team verse is Micah 6:8) is working it's way a little deeper into my heart. I am who God made me to be, I can do what God asks and nothing more. There's great freedom in that...praise God!

Lessons from life

It's midnight. I need to be sleeping. Things have happened in the last 72 hours that have been fantastic and things have happened that have been stressful. I'm consistently amazed at how God starts working things together, putting things in place so that the next event doesn't completely backfire or so that, in the end, I have to stop and say "Thanks".

Tonight I'm saying Thanks. Thanks for the opportunity to grow, the opportunity to be humble, the opportunity to be transparent and for the opportunity to be supported by others in small and big ways. My heart just about melted tonight when a youth group member came up and hugged me, not once but twice. He doesn't even know how much that meant and probably never really will but I will remember it forever.

My ego took a little bit of a beating tonight but it turns out I didn't need that ego anyway. It just gets in the way of God and God's amazing way of working.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve. In a few hours I'll be leading in worship at our Christmas Eve Service. We'll be singing some of my favorite songs, O Come All Ye Faithful, O Rejoice, Away in the Manger. We'll turn off the overhead lights, light candles and sing together Silent Night, cherishing the gift of Jesus...if we are lucky it won't be raining and all of that can be done outside in the chill of the night air with the stars twinkling in the sky.

It doesn't really matter though, whether we sing inside or out, the real joy of Christmas Eve comes when those lights go out and the candles begin to be lit. That's when Christmas starts for me, in that moment with the symbolic light of Christ is passed from one person to another, when barriers are dropped for just a moment to celebrate the birth of Christ into a world in need of saving. In that moment there is hope, peace and joy. Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Tuesday's Tips part 4

It's hard to believe that Christmas is just two sleeps away. I've got almost all my shopping done, yea! I'll be picking up a couple of extra things tonight before dinner with some friends, yea! I have the last of the pictures I need that need to be picked up at Costco and then I think I have it all together.

Today's tips are the last ones for this Christmas season. Thanks for reading along! It's been fun and challenging for me.

Looking to start a new Christmas family tradition? How about a Christmas movie viewing night. Aunt C and Lisa like to watch White Christmas together. Yo Momma and I (and Lil Bro when he was around) make time to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol. There's plenty of movies that can be viewed by the whole family. What's a Christmas without A Charlie Brown Christmas?

Have one person that you're struggling to buy a present for? Personalize a calendar. K takes pictures of Train Guy and Adventure Boy, cuts them out and puts them "into" the pictures on a pre-printed calendar. It's fun to turn the page each month to see where the boys will be. Or write notes on specific dates on the calendar, birthdays, quotes, special holidays, lunch dates, etc.

If a calendar doesn't work for you, how about an ornament? These are some of my favorite ornaments to give because they come in a nice box.

Looking for a gag gift? Singing animals are always a hit. People either love them or hate them and that's the whole point. I am on the loving them side and have several. I also found that there are some fun animals out there that don't sing but do other things that make me laugh, laugh, laugh. A couple of lucky people will be the recipients of these gifts this year.

My final tip this Christmas season can't be found on the Internet. I found it last night at R.A.W. in the quiet with the rain pouring down on the roof and candles lighting up the room. It was the reminder to stop and breathe. There is much that I will miss in the next few days as I rush not only to get things done for Christmas but for the Mississippi trip, but last night for an hour I was able to just breathe and enjoy the moment.

In the hustle of friends and family the next few days, my prayer for you is that you have the opportunity to breathe and enjoy the moment.

Short post

I love Christmas...I don't love cleaning up after wrapping Christmas presents, especially there are still presents to wrap but I ran out of tape. If my housemates weren't returning home before me tonight I would just leave the mess but if I did I'd never hear the end of it. Good thing there's a spare room!