HRT

I NEED SOME HRT!

For those of you who are TOO young or TOO testosterone driven to know what HRT is....well...it stands for Hormone Replacement Therapy. (all male species will begin to check out right about ....NOW!)

Yesterday, my WONDERFUL hubby called me in the morning and said someone wanted to look at our house, which is for sale.

As the kids and I were organizing closets, cleaning, etc.... the STRESS got to me...and...

I morphed from THIS...

into this...

I am in one of those EVE BLAMED stages of life...this one is called WWWS (Wicked Witch of the West Syndrome...some may call it peri-menopausal)...and my hormones seem to be out of whack. Hallmark commercials bring tears...disobedient or fighting children stirs anger...Innocent remarks from my wonderful and understanding hubby bring hurt, tears, and anger...

And that culminates in bringing on the WWWS. (Can I get a witness???)

BTW...None of those things mentioned above may have ensued in reality BUT in your HRT / WWWS mind and emotions it HAPPENED...OK...so LEAVE ME ALONE!

So...as I repented to GOD and to my ever so forgiving and loving offspring they granted forgiveness and reminded me of the words often spoken to them by ME..."We forgive you and we know you are sorry...but you need to CHANGE and not let it happen again!"

SO...I realized...though Hormone Replacement Therapy is a pliable option...what REALLY needs to happen in my heart and emotions is divine HRT...HOLINESS REPLACEMENT THERAPY!

One of my life scriptures is 2 Corinthians 7:1,
"...let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."

OH HOW I NEED HIS HOLINESS to transform me...ESPECIALLY at this season of life when I am riding this emotional roller coaster. I BELIEVE the LORD can give me what I need to balance my mind and spirit and emotions.

I need to do my part...eating right, exercising, and, YES, Mom & Aud...taking VITAMINS!

Most importantly...Taking my 1,000 mgs (Mighty GOD Sustenance) vitamins daily...feeding on HIS WORD...chatting with Jesus...setting my MIND on things above...because where the mind goes...the woman follows.

The GOAL...to transform into a likeness of this...

Holiness Replacement Therapy...sounds good to me...and my KIDS say....AMEN TO THAT!

What kind of HRT are you incorporating into your life?

SPEAKING OF PANTS...

This week I was reminded of something Weston said when he was 5 years old.

I had picked him up from Kindergarten and we went to the 5 year old's nugget eating, french fry loving, toy treasure amassing, super-sized play structure dream... and the 30 year old's calorie laden, grease dripping, cheap junk collecting, germ infested - kid screaming play area nightmare...called McDonald's.

As we walked up to the door, Weston saw the sign with the symbols for 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service.'

He asked, "Mommy, what does that sign mean?

I replied, "It means that if you don't wear shoes and a shirt in the restaurant, they won't give you any food."

I saw his sharp little 5 year old mind spinning that thought around for a few intelligent moments...then he shrugged his shoulders and said,

"Well, I guess you don't have to wear PANTS then, do you!

5 year old logic...practical...honest...insightful...I LOVE it!

We decided not to drop our drawers that day and take the sign to task. However, if you ever want to take a ride on the wild side and try it...just LET US KNOW if the business stood behind their sign. We will TAKE YOUR WORD for it!

Maybe we should market our kids to corporations for their intelligence and logic. Hmmm...could be money in your pocket...that is if you are wearing your shirts, shoes, and PANTS!

Weston (r) & his buddy
Jeremiah (l) at Kindergarten
Graduation in 1994!!!

Where Do You Get Your Pants?

Last Fall, on our way to a Church Planters' Bootcamp we went by the airport to pick up our friend and Boot Camp presenter, Roger. On the ride to camp, Roger asked Brianna, then 11 years old, if she was coming to Boot Camp.

Brianna replied, "No, I am homeschooled this year so I am going to my grandma's for Home-Ec. See, I love to cook, do crafts, decorate, & sew, and my mom's not too good at that stuff. So I go to Gram's for that."

...and then she continued, "I get those pants from my Grandma."

With a puzzled look on his face, Roger pointed and asked, "Your grandma made those pants?"

"No," Brianna replied and continued a little more emphatically, "I get those pants from my grandma!"

Then it hit me. "GENES (jeans) Roger, she gets those GENES from her grandma!"

And truly, those jeans, I mean, genes, skipped a generation...right over my head! As you can see, my mom, grandma, and daughter in the kitchen
preparing Mother's Day Dinner...and my hubby grilled. I am taking pictures!!!! I DID cut up the Watermelon and made them all a nervous wreck thinking I was going to cut off my finger!

I am BLESSED to have the heritage the LORD gave to me. I may not have received the cooking, sewing, and craft pants of my mom and grandma, but they gave me something FAR greater...a LOVE for JESUS.

If I could get any 'pants' from my mom, I am thankful I inherited those. She taught me to be faithful to the house of the LORD...the importance of prayer and faith and the WORD. I am striving for other qualities I LOVE about my MOM. The gracious hostess, compassionate one, and GIVES AND GIVES in more ways than you can imagine...So Positive and always tries to see the best in everyone...continually putting others before herself...my best girlfriend! She is the BEST grandma...LOVES keeping the grandkids ...teaching Brianna the domestic side of life...watching and listening to Weston play his guitar. She and dad would drive 2 hours to see a 2 hour soccer game, and then drive back home.

MOM...THANK YOU for all you have done to help me to be the woman I am today and am striving to become. I LOVE YOU!

My Grandma, I would love to inherit her pants of ENERGY...work ethic...and humor. She is 84 years old and in February finished her part time job taking care of 'old people!" She goes to the nursing home every Wednesday to visit and help with a little morning singing. She was our taxi service growing up...always running us during the day when our mom and dad were working and she was on 3rd shift. MO...I LOVE YOU! You mean the WORLD to me!

My MOM...my GRANDMA... and my gram in heaven, are (were) such examples to me of sacrifice, love, and compassion. They showed me JESUS in human form.

I only pray I can pass those 'pants' on to my kids.

Idiots

I was in Minneapolis this weekend picking up Weston from college. On my way to breakfast at the hotel, I passed a meeting room readying for a conference entitled, "Dealing with Difficult People." That reminded me of this email I received a few week ago from a friend of mine who is in ministry.

"...I dread Sundays. I know that sounds awful. I’ve had a list of non pleasant conversations lately too. [People] going off on me. Saying hurtful things. Others who just want to complain about everything...it is really getting me down...Any words of wisdom?"

My divinely inspired reply: "...As far as the people who run their mouths....they do not understand the ins and outs of ministry and how things work...so you just have to smile, say, "Thanks, I will consider what you have said..." then say to yourself, "What an IDIOT!"

HOW FREEING to think that!... however...Even though we feel they fall into that category, my wise husband has always said, "No matter how things are said to you, it is always important to really sift through the words and find if there is any TRUTH in it."

HARD. NECESSARY. OUCH!!!!! After all that, you can then say, "IDIOT!"

Maybe I should have responded to my friend as suggested in THIS POST by Perry Noble. I did email it to her in retrospect. She said it was great...and would file it right after the MBM (mary beth method).

NOW...If you are reading this and you have ever been as described as in the afore mentioned paragraphs...(guilty!)... "be careful of your words!" If you have a valid concern about someone or something you need to address with a fellow coworker, person in ministry, family member, etc. there are OTHER WAYS to broach the subject. HOW ABOUT with LOVE...and...KINDNESS...It is BIBLICAL, don't ya know!

Try this...."Hey, could I talk to you sometime about [this area]? I am SURE I don't know everything about the situation so I was hoping you could help me understand."

Doesn't that sound EASY...and NICE...and CHRIST-LIKE? Besides, who wants to be labeled an idiot in the minds of others?

Have a great day. I hope you don't have any IE's (idiot encounters) today.

NOTE...in case of idiot metro-Detroit DRIVERS who just CUT YOU OFF and almost made you CRASH into the person in front of you and you REALLY want to become a REACTIONARY IDIOT...by road rage, sinful actions, yelling, etc...DON'T GIVE INTO TEMPTATION. Don't stoop to their level.

REMEMBER...just smile, consider what they did, wave at them, and while smiling & waving, say out loud in an ever so sweet and pleasant voice..."Jesus, take the Wheel of that Idiot!" (a becky kennedy method)