This is what it feels like

This is what it feels like to be loved, to be cared for, to be blessed.

The wonderfully insightful folks at the Stirring planned a "Single Mom Saturday." Someone apparently knows what it's like to go it alone. Worrying about the kids, the bills, the car (especially the car - that wonderfully-made mechanical contraption that takes us where we want to go - mostly).

Now my car was a mess. Stickers in the back windows. There was a time in our lives when Jake had many, many doctor appointments and to cheer him up, I let him apply the stickers to the inside of his window. Now both rear windows were covered. Someone ran into my car in the Anderson Safeway parking lot last year, and I haven't been able to afford the deductible (and after wrecking 2 cars in the last 4 years, I don't want my premiums to go up more, anyway!).

I'd removed the stickers recently, but you can tell I have kids - spilled messes on the seats and carpet. Lollipops and popcorn, juice and smoothies.

So, Saturday morning we met at the Stirring. There were two photographers waiting, and they took pictures of me & my offspring. Then, some wonderful young women watched our kidlets, fed them pizza and kept them entertained while we were escorted to Tierra Oaks for lunch!

Now, if you haven't been there - YOU NEED TO GO. YOU NEED TO EAT AT TIERRA OAKS. Right now. Don't wait. Sean Gafner is the chef, and he's truly an artist. We spent a VERY relaxing time enjoying our lunches (the coconut chicken special was superb!) and having our iced teas and lemonades refilled. A decadent dessert. Ah, it was wonderful.

Then we returned to the Stirring to find our cars had been completely detailed! My car is beautiful again! The kids have been ordered to have nothing but water inside (we'll see how long it lasts!). I was even advised that I needed a quart of oil.

It made me remember the wonderful days when my ex-husband would wash my car and change the oil for me. Very well cared for. Those times now are few and far between.

I am so incredibly thankful for my Stirring family. They are the best. Because they know that we are all dependent on one another, and it's easy to help another. And I know I'll try and pass on that wonderful feeling.

Oh, and on a side note. My ex-husband is NO LONGER dating the woman in my complex. I saw her at the pool Sunday, and she told me that she things that we have some "unresolved issues" and should get back together. Apparently, she's a counselor, and "knows these things." Too bad we don't.

My Stirring Family - Help!

A couple weeks ago I was reading Shane's book (rereading it now) and he talks about abortion, and how life doesn't end at birth - maybe we should consider having a pregnant girl move in.

Tonight we were getting ready to greet the Stirring kids (I'm helping out in the infant room) and one of the girls had a prayer request...she needs a place to stay - NOW. Roommate issues necessitated her moving out, she's been staying on couches, and is running out of options. Without thinking, I offered my son's room - he sleeps on a mattress in my room, so it's basically just storage right now. And she accepted! And - she's five months pregnant and alone.

So, if anyone out there has some extra full-size sheets, they'd be most welcome! My son's black sheets (he loves them) show every bit of dog & cat hair, no matter how frequently they're washed. I want to offer her a little something more - girly.

Unrelated note - I was wondering today how I'd manage in the infant room - with my back. All of a sudden I got an idea - grabbed one of Jake's balls. Kind of like a tennis ball, but softer. I laid on my back and put the ball right under where it hurt. The pressure felt great. I laid there and thought about healing...and heard a very loud pop. And it's okay now! Still a bit sore, but nothing terrible. This is after two chiropractors and a physical therapist tried to get the joint back in line, without success. So, guess who I'm thanking today? PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

Off to straighten up Jake's room, as our newest friend arrives tomorrow!

I'm in real trouble

So, I'm reading this amazing book by Shane Claiborne. A couple Sundays ago, Nate recommended his books. Now I'm reading "The Irresistible Revolution." It's good. Boy, that sounds half-baked. But nothing I can say would really express how much this books catches me. Takes hold of me. Throws me on the floor and says, "WHAT. HAVE. YOU. BEEN. DOING. ALL. YOUR. LIFE?"

As Shane says, it's a lot like CPR. You can learn it, and you can believe it works, but you have to do it. If someone has a heart attack, you can't just stand there and tell them that CPR will save their life - believing it doesn't make it so. You have to get down on the ground and do it.

Having kids is amazing and wonderful, but because of them, there are things I want to do that will have to wait.

Until then, I'll do what I can - performing CPR from a distance, if you will. So I've sat in a tent at the Convention Center and recorded videos for the children of Darfur. I've hosted the African Childrens' Choir members in my home (I'll never forget the night I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. talking with the chaperone - her views on singleness and serving were shocking to me then but make more sense as time goes by). I've taken shoes to some wonderful kids. Heck, I adopted some wonderful kids. I'm always sharing a couple bucks with the folks I see around town - I don't care what they use the money for, I just love to spend a few minutes listening to them. I do listen well.

I've always known this, but now I KNOW THIS. Make sense? No, I know. Never mind. I'll shut up now. If you want to know more, read the book.

Sometimes life doesn't work out like you planned

Friday night, the Stirring planned "Erase the Dark," a music, art and film festival to benefit Cypress School.

Close to my heart, it is. Last summer, my ex-husband and I hired a nanny for our kids. Less than a month in, she decided she didn't want to spend her summer working. She offered up her sister, who lasted about two weeks. We were stuck. Have you ever tried to find summer child care well into July? Not easy. We found that Cypress School offered a summer childcare program, had openings, and was surprisingly affordable. I went there, and met the director, and she was fabulous! Caring, well-educated, and with a true heart for the kids. We made plans for them to start there.

I picked up the kids after the first day, and Jake asked me if I could make him two lunches the next day. Now, he is NOT a big eater, so my curiosity was peaked. He wanted to share one of the lunches with his new friend, K. K's lunch that day had been a rice cake. I spend the rest of the summer packing each of the kids' lunchboxes with several sandwiches and snacks.

One Wednesday they had planned an outing to the Aquatic Center. All the kids were so excited, but the day broke cold and drizzly. A quick change to the skating rink was made, but there was a problem. As the teachers called the parents to let them know of the change, it was discovered that half of them didn't have socks - required for the rink. I made a quick trip to K-Mart, and the trip went on.

Several of Jake's favorite toys disappeared that summer. The mystery was solved when I saw Jake putting them into his backpack to give to his friends who he'd found had no toys.

That's how our summer went - with my kids receiving a greater gift than I'd planned. Sure, they were in a safe place, filled with laughter, learning, crafts, and play. But they learned that there are kids right here in our town who don't have toys. Who don't have food. Who don't have clothes.

So, here the Stirring was having this incredible event meant not only to entertain, but to enrich Cypress School. I was really looking forward to it.

One of my co-workers came to work Friday complaining that she'd spent the night with food poisoning. About 4:00, I realized maybe she didn't have food poisoning, but stomach flu. How did I know? Because food poisoning isn't contagious.

There went my Friday night.

I'm still not feeling great, but I felt well enough to host Jake's 8th birthday party yesterday afternoon. It was a roaring success. For the first time, every single guest was there. And his dad stayed for two whole hours, and actually played with him, which was probably the greatest gift Jake received.