Joyful Transformation

Recently I was given the opportunity to help support a unique ministry. My friend Patrick Mead (whom I have never met in person) gave us the opportunity to support a store front ministry that would also be a tatoo palor. They will be reaching out to to the folks who would never set foot in a traditional church building.

Being a person who is detailed challenged, I often lose things that come to me in the mail, therefore I opened a P.O. Box to receive bills and bank statements, things like that. Well part of the opportunity involved buying a CD by a group called Bar 12. Mine has been sitting in the post office for about a week, but I went and bailed it out today. It is great. Some songs have a real "classic rock" sound to them, some are definately classified as the blues. My least favorite are the acoustic guitar slower songs, but hey, that is just me. If you would like to get out there and help a unique ministy, order this CD (here are the details)....you will be glad you did.

As another aside....Kansas Bob wondered how some events were brought about through blogging. Well like so many people my first blog to read was that of Mike Cope. Shortly thereafter I begin to read Brandon Scott Thomas who is the lead singer for Zoe. They began to talk about the Conference that was to be held in Nashville. Well since Nashville is only about 2 1/2 hours from my home I knew we had to go! I didn't know what to expect...but it was great.

As for some of the other things, it is funny that after a while you become great friends with someone you have never met. You read each others blogs and comment on common things. You learn that some people who blog are more like you than people you have known for years. A natural consecquence of forming such relationships is the desire to meet in person. When you find a common venue, you go there. When you find one of these friends in "dire straights" like after Katrina...you find a way to get there and help out.

I don't think I can adequately express what this rare community has meant to me. My prayers and those to whom I would turn to for prayer is centered around my blogging friends. Strange but true. When I hear some of the horror stories that come from the abuse of the "My Space" type of deal. I want to shout "hey, we are using it for good! We love each other and pray for and encourage each other as we attempt to serve our Master" Most folks don't understand. I know that you guys do!!

I’ve been thinking (these are words that send my husband into panic mode). I wonder how many things I have experienced or how many people I have met because of blogging.

Last night I was having a belated birthday dinner with my real life friend and fellow-blogger Terri. (thanks Terri it was great!) It amazes me how many times our conversation will turn to those of you we have met through this crazy little thing called “blogging”.

I know we would have never heard of or attended the Zoe Conference had it not been for blogging. I would not have known anyone personally and would not have made the trip to Pascagoula, MS last year after hurricane Katrina visited. I don’t think I would have ever journeyed to Memphis for a Third Day concert (I would have waited for them to come to Birmingham) and I am sure I would not have had communion by the river there.

Many of you I now consider some of my closest friends, but had it not been for blogging I would never have known you at all. There are so many people I would have never met, and many more of you I am anticipating meeting…..

Tell me some things you have done directly as a result of blogging….

Thanksgiving Day gave an opportunity to get four generations on David's side in photo history. Sitting L-R my Mother-in-law Eva holding Ali, Diana holding Eli, David holding Ava. Standing Derek holding Matthew!

Do you have favorite Christmas movies? I have always really liked “The Bishop’s Wife”. I don’t really know why, except maybe it points out how we can get caught up in “doing” Christmas and forget the meaning of Christmas.

How about books? As a kid I could read The Night Before Christmas over and over. I loved the feel of the actual book as well as reading in a cadence type of voice. I loved reading it aloud to my kids with dramatic effects…

When I was in Jr. High school, I loved the Janet Lambert series of books “The Penny Parrish” series. I remember one particular book where her boyfriend was serving in the Korean War, but was supposed to be home by Christmas. I don’t remember the book having a happy ending, but I have never forgotten that she made me feel how great it would be if the war was over and the boys home by Christmas. (Strangely enough as I type this “I’ll be Home for Christmas” is playing on the radio)

Today is the birthday of my beautiful daughter Diana. I am going to confess something here, I have worried a lot about her during the past year. I was not sure she was ready to be a Mom. Part of that is because I still see her looking like this.


Part of that is because she is so different from me. I would absolutely drive her nuts if I put a stamp on a bill slightly crooked…when I put it on upside down she almost came unglued….I barely noticed. I wondered how someone who is such a perfectionist could deal with the chaos of having a baby….let alone THREE babies.


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My Diana was a happy baby. She smiled and giggled constantly. She has always brought me great joy. To this day she still thinks I am funnier than anyone else does. I enjoy making her laugh….I enjoy laughing with her.



She has three beautiful, healthy and happy babies. Happy babies are a great tribute to a mother. Sure she gets stressed out, she may even wish for a day (or two) without them, but she is a wonderful mother and I am so proud of her.
Happy Birthday baby! You have given me the wonderful privilege of having you as a daughter and giving me three beautiful and precious grandbabies. I love you!

The weather is in the 70's....guess what? That is perfect tennis weather. So I am doing my best to get some tennis in....trust me, I will not be fighting the rest of you in the shopping malls this weekend. I can't even get in the mood to put up my tree when it is this warm....but it is still too early anyway.

We had a great Thanksgiving, we gathered at my Mother in laws on Thursday and at my Mom and Dad's yesterday. The triplets spent the night with us last night and they were perfect little angels. This has truly been a blessed year. Nobody was real interested in getting up a game of tag football in the yard....I guess this is when we show our age.

I started to do a post on my pet-peeves about the Christmas holiday, but I am going ot work on being positive....so I will just give you one. (with apologies to John Dobbs) WHY, do they start playing Christmas music so early? and WHY do they play it on every station?

You got one?

Thankfulness is contagious. Thankfulness in encouragement.

I already knew this, but when we used our class time last night to each list the one thing we were especially thankful for this year, I was encouraged. I was thankful to know such a wonderful group of ladies and I left knowing God’s Spirit had moved to us all….through us all. What a great experience.

I am thankful for all of you who encourage me, sometimes unknowingly, just by being here.

Thank you!

I love this week. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year. The concept of taking time to count our blessings is something we should always be aware of, but that we as a nation can take special time from our lives to thank God is an awesome privilege.


This year I have so much to be thankful for. God has answered so many prayers on my behalf this year. Yet as I look back on the year I realize that trying to capture it in my mind is like trying to hold sand in a colander. Time just quickly passes by. Memories are made, but often I fail to cherish them. I fail to envelope myself in the moments that make life so wonderful.

My goal for this week is to savor not only the wonderful food that will be prepared, but each moment spent with family and friends. I want to feel love and to let those that I love feel it from me. I want to let God use me to express his love to all of his children. Will you join me?

This has been one of those weekends filled with the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Two of my favorites were in the agony column….the Crimson Tide of Alabama and Dale Jr in his race for the chase and the race at Homestead. But both are rebuilding, both have had moments of glory this year, both will come back strong next year. I am grateful that my mood is no longer dictated by how either performs….this year I would have been in a real funk. I find that it builds character to learn how to lose graciously. My character is getting stronger!

Saturday I played my first tennis match after the eye enhancement. David and I had our first victory together! Yay! That is the good news. I can see things on the tennis courts that I have not been able to see….the bad news is that I now have to wear reading glasses to see my computer screen. Oh well, much in life is a trade off.

The true winning of the weekend was time spent with my family. It is so special to have those four precious grandbabies with me. It was challenging but fun to keep them all Friday night. Then to enjoy them all at my Mom’s yesterday was extra special.

Derek, Mary, Matthew and I went back to enjoy a time of worship with our extended family at Crossbridge yesterday. It was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship. I enjoy getting to spend the extra time with them in the car as well as the time of worship.

I hope no matter which teams you pull for, whether you felt thrills or agony, that you know and feel the greatest victory of all….Victory in Jesus!!

My Mom cooked dinner and my favorite chocolate cake. All the family was there.
David and I kept all four grandkids for the first time Friday night. I think this is the first picture of me with the four of them....

I survived...I think it was all succesful, although there was a little deal with this growth on my eye bleeding...I would tell you the name of it, but I can't spell when I am taking pain pills.

Anyway, I am supposed to be sleeping, not typing on the computer with one eye shut.....I have always been a rebel without a cause. My sweet husband has gone to get stuff to make spaghetti for me....what a guy.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I think it will be fine. I hope the patch will be gone tomorrow. If not I may change my initials to DPD....Dread Pirate Donna....HA!

Today is the day. I really hate the actual procedure they do....I would prefer to be asleep, but I guess that makes controlling the position of the eye a little tricky. Anyway it is dark and rainy and I could just stay home and sleep and read...... but I will be brave and go let them lift a pre-cut flap on my left eye and take a laser and reshape it a little where I can see once more. It only takes a few minutes.....I get a Valium....

I wish they could do something similar for my hips....


I will probably be out of commission for the rest of the day.

SEE ya!

Much to my surprise the eye Dr was ready to fix my vision…..NOW! I will be having an enhancement surgery on Thursday, yep this Thursday. I will again be able to see clearly on Friday morning!

I wish all things could be brought into focus as easily!

I have a very strong sense of smell….I also can hear quite well. Both things were probably developed as a way to compensate for my poor eye sight. I started wearing glasses when I was in the 2nd grade. Now, I would not wear them unless it was absolutely necessary, but when even the front row was too far back to see the chalk board (yep, they used to use chalk!) I relented and started wearing my glasses in class. As soon as I turned 16 I got a job. As soon as I could save up enough money I wanted contacts. I am sure my Mom & Dad helped me out (since I was making like $2.00 per hour and only working 16-20 hours per week and contacts was over $200) but soon I was able to get them. It was great! I could see. While it was sometimes a pain to wear the old “rigid” gas permeable lenses, it was just a part of my life. I took them out at night or even if I wanted to take a nap. The first thing I did every morning was to put my contacts in. Life was good.

Then, the unthinkable happened. When I went past that 40th anniversary of the day I was born my arms started getting shorter. I couldn’t see to read! If you know anything about me you know that this was a tragedy. I finally found that I could read at night by taking my contacts out, but then I couldn’t see to do anything else. The more rigid the contact the more it forms to your eye, making your vision change continually when you take them out, thus glasses would only work some of the time.

Finally totally frustrated I took a chance on checking out Lasik surgery. Now I had always been told that they could not help people with astigmatism. I had severe astigmatism (that just means I couldn’t focus and would see double). Much to my surprise the Doctor said he could fix my eyes and in December of 2002 I woke up with the ability to see.

I had my right eye enhanced in May of 2003 and again life was good. My left eye has been steadily getting worse. That has not been such a bad thing because it lets me see to read without reading glasses. (you can’t have it all!) But it has really created challenges with my tennis game. Having what they call mono-vision really messes with your depth perception. Anyway I am going today to see about having my left eye enhanced or getting a contact for playing tennis. Either way, hopefully once again I will be able to see clearly.

It occurred to me this morning that I have had to make several adjustments and even course changes in my journey to see more clearly. I remember when I first had my surgery, I would miss being able to take my contacts out when I was tired, because it always made my eyes feel so relieved. My point is just because something is familiar and even a source of comfort, it does not mean that there is not something better out there. Why would we limit our choices by what we know? If I had not went to the eye Doctor I could have just went around saying- “I can’t have surgery, I have an astigmatism”.

If we never stretch ourselves beyond what we know and are comfortable with, we may never know the joys and fulfillment that we could achieve.

We came home yesterday to a beautiful fall day. The scenery became more and more beautiful as we got closer to home. It was good to get home. It was great to see my babies. I NEED to see my Matthew today!

So do I feel inspired and recharged to tackle any obstacles that come along? Not really. But perhaps I put too much emphasis on a short trip. I am forming some thoughts that may or may not be profound. Maybe I should just shoot for humorous and skip the profound stuff.

I did find that sometimes it is hard to like people. During my last match on Friday we played against this woman who used a racket with two handles. I thought it was some type of handicapped racket, but it turns out the only handicap she had was lack of the gene that allows you to have “fun”. We jumped out to an early start and won the first set 6-2. Evidently confident in a quick defeat we became complacent and managed to lose the second set by near the same margin. So we were destined for a third set tie break. This “lady” was so paranoid that we were going to get some coaching (OK, at our level you can “tell” me what to do all day long…if I could translate that from your mouth to my head to my racket….I would not be playing at this level). She followed us to the bathroom between sets. When she saw me talking to my captain she almost had a come-apart. I was asking her what time and on which courts they were about to play! Anyway I guess her tactics worked because she made my goal to try and make the tennis ball go into her mouth! Therefore we lost the tie-break and the match. I met up with some folks I had played against back in June. They remembered me because we had a fun match. I don’t think this lady will have any such joyful reunions. Winning truly is not everything!

Hope you are all having a good Monday.

Knowing it is into the weekend...I am sure no one much will read this post, but I thought I would let the other two of you know that my tennis tournament is over...we didn't make the semi-finals which is really good news. That means I can spend all day tomorrow on the beach!!

I played well this weekend and have had a great time. There is no place like Gulf Shores to host a tennis tournament. For the most part people have been nice and we have had lots of fun. I have not yet reached a decision about the blogging vs writing thing. Really I have not had much time to think....lots of tennis playing and watching.

I did take a long (in my opinion) hot bath this afternoon. However, I don't think I stayed in more than 10 minutes....how do you stay in a tub longer than that? It was nice, but really?

Two more days of fun at the beach....I miss my babies, and I miss you guys, but I will see (talk,read) you all real soon!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Going off for some much needed R&R.

Feel free to talk among yourselves...or who knows I may pop in!

G-getting into my head and
U-under my skin
I-invoking emotions
L-like regret and a sense of heavieness
T-That makes what should be fun just another burden


**when you are old enough that your parents no longer have this power over you, take heart, your children will take up the slack!**

Last night I woke up, not to the sound of thunder, but to a hacking cough that wouldn’t stop. It was kind of interesting because I was in the middle of a really strange dream. I guess it is true that the images of the day march across your mind and try to make some kind of sense in a sleeping state, but this series of dreams bothered me. It bothered me because it brought to mind several things I had read yesterday about following or giving up on a dream. Why would this bother me? I was suddenly plagued with the thought that while I would encourage others to never give up on their dreams, I had refused to nurture my own dream and have managed to keep it pushed far back into my sub-conscience mind. I think I have substituted a somewhat satisfying activity for the true dream that I have always had for my life.

So I laid in bed wide-eyed trying to find an angle that would inhibit my cough and thought about what I was going to do about this. As is usual for my middle of the night ponderings no great epiphanies appeared. Even if they had I would not be able to remember them in the light of day. But I did come to the realization that the pursuit of a dream is not a lazy man’s task (or woman). If this pursuit was worthwhile it would take much work on my part. To be able to commit to this type of work I would have to surrender some of my time currently devoted to other pursuits.

So, do I give up blogging to pursue writing? Or do I use blogging as a preview of my writing? Or do I do both to some extent? I am not sure. However, I am leaving tomorrow for the beach, the place that inspires all great ideals and commitments for me. Hopefully when I return I will have an answer for you….more importantly I will have an answer for me.

This past Saturday I made an impulsive purchase in the local Wal Mart. Yes I spent $7.50 for a CD by the Three Dog Night!

Today it brought great "Joy to the (my) world" to drive through the streets of Cullman with my sunroof opened singing "Never Been to Spain" at the top of my lungs (until I broke into a fit of coughing) This followed by my realization that "ONE" is the lonliest number and that "Moma had told me Not to come". But all the time I was thinking "Liar" it is not "Easy to be Hard". But I didn't want to waste my time on "An Old Fashioned Love Song" seeing as how I see things as "Black and White". But I wanted to "Celebrate" and tell "Eli (that Mimi's) coming" and that the "Show Must Go ON". However, I don't have a clue what or where "Shambala" is.

You have got to love some cheap classic rock!

As I mentioned before I seem to get on topical discussions. My new topic is prayer. I am reading Phillip Yancey’s book on Prayer. Yesterday I heard a very good sermon on prayer taken from the book of II Chronicles. Today I have read a couple of blog post that center on the topic of prayer.

The thing that has stuck with me today has been the way that Yancey described the relationship of lament and dare I say “complaining” to God. You know to be totally real with anyone we can’t always be sunshine and roses. There is a part of us that needs to cry out and to grieve out loud about our troubles and our burdens. God can take that. He gives us enough examples of it that you might even say he expects it of us. Do we try to keep our masks on when we pray? God knows our hearts anyway….we need to get real in our prayers. Then we can experience the healing love of our Father.

It is humbling to be a Bama fan this year! It has not been a fun lesson to learn.

But, you must agree with me that we have some of the best looking fans!! (and yes none of us Bama girls like wearing shoes!)





Roll Tide

(Ali, Eli, Ava)

I seem to get on themes lately…currently it would seem that my theme is love. My little girl loves her babies but currently she is struggling with having patience for them. She looks forward to the night each weekend that we keep them. I love her and the babies, but I am sick. I don’t think I am contagious, but for the first time I am not looking forward to keeping my sweet babies.

So it occurs to me that love does not always mean that you want to constantly be in the presence of another. Love means that sometimes you do things you don’t want to for the benefit of another. Love is not always expressed as unsurpassed joy, sometimes it is messy diapers and cranky babies (and a cranky Mom).

I am sure God sometimes thinks of me as a cranky baby. There are times when he must lose patience with me. He doesn’t love me any less, but just wants me to “grow up”. I hate it when the shoe fits so well……

I have nothing to say. So why am I typing anyway? Who knows, maybe I think the keyboard will suddenly inspire a burst of creativity. Or maybe I am just killing a little time. We sat through a 2 ½ hour meeting this morning and now everyone but me has gone to lunch with the Rep that came to talk to us. Since I am keeping myself free to man the phones (that are not ringing) I feel compelled to write something.

Sometimes I grow discouraged with an area of my life that I used to be excited about….I am not sure if that is a natural progression of things or if it is a major character flaw of mine. I admit that several times in the last year or so I have grown very discouraged about our ladies class. Some of the pressures were external, like lack of time to meet together and the forced hiatus we have each summer. But some of the time the discouragement comes from an unconscious time table I have in my head (if it is unconscious how do I know it is there? Well I am examining myself OK!)

The beauty of being in a group that has learned to love each other is that you can disagree with one another without feeling like you will alienate that person. I told someone today that I thrive and grow when I am involved in a lively debate. I really believe that. However, I guess I get discouraged when I feel like others are not growing from debate. I get frustrated when everything is an issue of black and white. I take it personally when I think that if you disagree with me it means that you don’t like me or think I am out on a limb (which may not be altogether a wrong assumption).

Anyway last night we talked about love. We talked about loving someone like Jesus loves us. I know that to love like Jesus I must be patient and kind. I also must be willing to put aside my own agenda for the sake of others. We had a wonderful time of sharing last night. Could it have been because it hurt me so badly to talk that I did more listening than usual?

Glad I was able to work this out in my head….or on my keyboard as the case may be! Thanks for working through it with me.

This was the view as I was getting in my car this morning. God sure does paint some pretty pictures.

I have a sore throat. I woke up with it worse this morning. It may be hard for me to talk for 35 minutes tonight during class....maybe everyone will feel like having discussion tonight.

One excerpt from the chapter that I am teaching (hopefully) tonight...

"True love hurts," Mother Teresa once said. "It always has to hurt." and elsewhere she written pointedly "If you really love one another, you will not be able to avoid making sacrifices."

Do you think that is true? Being a nun is she talking about a different kind of love or is true in relational love as well?