The Shack Part B

I cannot adequately express to you how much this book has affected my life, but I will try. I am not an avid reader, but when a book comes along this good I can't put it down 'til I'm done. A beautiful story of one man's journey through the dark recesses of his heart. Some call it heresy and by definition I cannot refute that. Heresy is a religious word by it's own meaning and this book is anything but religious. In my search and quest for real relationships I find this book to be a top 10 how-to love your neighbor. Although some believe its content is too way out there, too weird a concept to consider, I find it a refreshing look into one man's view of his internal eternity. We all have that vivid picture of what it will look like, what God will say, what Christ will do, etc. It's fascinating to watch it come to life within the ink on the page. Until we're there and can see for ourselves there is no way to know what heaven or hell (for some) will look like. I thank Willie for giving his account of Mack's vision in such an awesome descriptive hike through a grieving father's cerebral wilderness. My advice to all readers is READ THIS BOOK! Whether you hate it or love it, talk about it. For no other reason than to raise awareness of differing views and how we can be more aware of the world around us outside our own "shacks" and LOVE like never before!

The Shack

I will continue to edit or add more to this blog as I go, I'm sure of it. I have just devoured one of the best books I have ever read. Albeit, I haven't read a whole lot, but this one is devine! I must insist that you give it a try and be transformed.

Why NOT to have a Yard Sale!

The following was an email that I sent to my friends (girl-friends) back when we were dumb enough to plan the ultimate multi-family yard sale! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!


OK, so I am only writing to you girls because some of this content my not be suited for others, but AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!! Yard sales, where do I begin? It's really a twelve step process like AA, and it goes like this:
1. Admit you have a problem
2. Crawl into every oriphus of your home and drag out every item covered in dust, older than dirt, something you would not even consider giving to your children and put a price tag on it.
3. Cry
4. Sweat
5. Bitch and Moan
6. Procrastinate
7. Hold your breath
8. Clean everything off, wash it, dry it, polish it like you love it!
9. Look at it and ponder,"How much would I pay for this?" Oh, yea, I already fell for that once.....
10. Find a box to organize each item into certain catagories, i.e. crap, old crap, crap I still like, and c....r.....a.....p
11. Put out a sign directing people to your crap
12. Sell your crap and take your profits of $11.50 and splurge on a new...................pack of gum.
Was it worth it? Heck yea!

I started early this morning with pleading and prayer with God. Please dear Lord make me want to do this (kinda like my laundry prayer). Then I walked for the first time in months, not procrastination but exercise!!! Then I dove in head first. Great, you say, way to go, you add, awesome...... Here's my dilemma: When I dove in I forgot to remove my exercise clothing of which contained a sports bra... Now you may wonder why this is a big deal. Remember our ac is off. O - F - F, off. So I realize I'm like the proverbial frog in cool water this a.m. that has during the day been turned up unbeknownst to me. Now I am sweating so hard and dripping that the tape I'm using for pricing won't stick! Which I think has to do with the friggin' humidity index in my house as well. I'm working so hard that I don't realize that within my tshirt a chemical reaction is happening so severe, so scary, so horrible that only when I contemplate taking a shower do I then have a fear like no other......... HOW THE *&%% DO I GET THIS @#&** THING OFF WITHOUT PUTTING MY SHOULDER OUT OR WORSE ... STRANGLING MYSELF!!!!!!!

WHAT THE.....?

Don't you just love the phrases our little ones pick up on? The question has never been finished by anyone in my house, (that I have heard) but whenever my daughter used to say this I always feared the last word may make it in there and didn't know which it would be. I love her! I want to be her. She's nine, btw, and going on 30. She is sooo much dang fun. Never a dull moment. Never a quiet one either. She has soooo much stuff in her brain that spills out on a regular basis through her vocal chords. It's amazing the stuff she knows! It's intimidating trying to teach her, hoping I'm not dumbing her down! LOL! She will read her assignments and before I get the first question out she is giving me the answer and so much more! Go, Sarah girl! She doesn't like dresses, she rarely goes for a brush without being told, she loves being outside, she loves creepy, crawley, slimy, leggy, freaky things, her imagination runs wild to the xtreme, she LOVES her friends, she LOVES her jake the snake, she is the most awesome woman, girl, female, tomboy, human, person, living creature I know. Do you know how big the giant squids babies are? She does. Do you know how many baby snakes a corn snake can have? She does. Do you know what a gyre is? She does. How about a thermoharline (sp?)? She does. Can you spell oviparous? She can. Do you know how to find joy in all you do? She does. Do you know when your friends/family are in need of a hug? She does. Do you know how to cry with them? She does. Do you know how to pray on the spot for anything? She does. Do you know what your oldest brother's favorite ice cream is? She does. Do you know how to change the lives of 4 teenage boys, 2 grownups and the world around you? SHE DOES, without even trying. I love my Sarah, my little katydid! My life is so "freakin' awesome" (as she would say) because she blesses our family.

M.W.D.D.

My new syndrome....Mother With Depression Denial. You see, I don't believe in depression. I believe in just picking yourself up and moving on. I am in denial that it even exists. Don't get mad at me, it's just my insensitive way to make me feel better about myself. I do it all the time. Which has led me to the conclusion that that is why people no longer like to be around me. Me, fun-loving, out-going, funny, beautiful, love to talk, me. I have made myself completely unapproachable for most people. Of course, my hubby and my kids have to love me and at least ask me "have you seen my shoes?" Sometimes that is the only conversation I get during the day and it has become quite an exciting moment knowing that the conversation is coming about where in the world shoes have gone in my house. The really unfortunate thing is that in denial that depression is a real thing I have found myself completely and utterly depressed. Not on the outside. I have that female motherhood syndrome of depression where only you and the good Lord above know that you are depressed, because to let the rest of the world in on your weakness and fears and rejections would be the downfall of my ever-so-not-so-perfect world. My life is great. My kids are a blessing to me everyday. My husband is a saint! But on the inside I am totally in a puddle of tears and trembling in an imaginary fetal position in my imaginary corner of my mind. Just smile and say hello and tell everyone you're fine and dandy and life is great, because it is.....hmmmmm, the dynamics of that are interesting. I know that I am to find joy in everything. God has placed that on my heart. I don't know what Joy is to me anymore. Maybe it's not my definition of joy, but His. You know, the big man upstairs. I have joined flylady.com and would recommend that to every woman who is out-going, full of clutter, artistic and out of her mind with busyness. I would not recommend it for anyone who has it together, already clean and neat and organized, sweet tempermented all the time, etc. To those ladies it would be a horrific look into the other realm of women. Flylady nails my personality right on the head and gives great advice. I am hoping that becoming more organized will help me pick my inner self up from the bootstraps and get over myself and my hidden depression, which if you ask me I will tell you I don't have. God Bless all of those overworked, overwhelmed, overweight, overcluttered, overdepressed (shhhh, don't tell) mothers of the world today and everyday!