Shine Today

Sometimes I just want to let it all out, you know, tell it like it really is. See, homeschool, parenting, taking care of a house, life, they're all hard. There is not ANYTHING easy. OK, wait, maybe...no, never mind, nothing. See, making the decision to teach your children is time consuming, takes discipline and has it's challenges. At times, I'd much rather be doing other stuff. Then there's the never ending laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning... As a parent, wow, where do I start. Raising kids is a challenge like no other! You WILL question your self over and over. But then, living single has its ups & downs. Sending your kids to public school has its moments. Not taking care of my home has REAL bad consequences! (sorry, had to throw that in :) ) Then there are those moments where you listen to your child read on their own. And the times they just randomly draw you a picture. And you do get all the housework caught up, even if just until the next meal. ...

You know, sometimes I find myself just asking a lot of questions. Well, recently it's been about our explorer and what to do with it. Oh, a Ford Explorer that is. Back on Thanksgiving, it broke down. While trying to figure out what to do with it, and finding someone to fix it, I felt as though I was supposed to go ahead and take it to a shop vs having "friend" do it. Well, $6200+ later, my husband said no way. So now what. Well, this morning I called the shop to tell them I'll have it towed home. While waiting for the shop to let me know it's ready, I went ahead and placed an ad for sale on the web. Within 5 minutes max, someone called. Long story short, he bought it, as is. Hiss uncle is a mechanic. I loved that truck. It was sad to see it go. Then, I go and help my daughter look at a place for rent for her and her husband. As much as I don't want them to move out, I know they plan on more children and it's already crowded in our 3 bedroom 1...

Could marriage really become obsolete? A friend of mine sent me a text saying that new surveys show 39% of American's believe so. That's up from 1978 when only 28% felt that way. Really? I told him I disagreed and he asked me why. Well, because I believe that there will always be enough people, especially believers in Christ, that will believe in marriage. BUT, 39% is a LOT of people! That's about 4 out of 10 that believe marriage is becoming obsolete. Could we end up in a place where less than 50% believe in marriage? With living together increasing yearly, up 13% just last year, where will marriage be in 10 years? So, my questions... Is it that we don't believe in marriage, or that we just don't like the way it looks today? Why do more people believe marriage is on its way out then ever before? What is marriage to you? And lastly, who are these people interviewed?

I learned something interesting about the gift God gave us this time of the year. Sending His Son to fulfill prophecy was enough, but He didn’t stop there. Sending His Son so that we could find forgiveness was enough, but He didn’t stop there. Putting all of our sin on His Son so that He would nail it to the cross was definitely enough, but He didn’t stop there. God came to the place of being human for another thing, so that we would never be alone, so that we could be who God created us to be, so that we would always have someone to go to, so that WE would have someone there through the calm and through the storm, so that we would not walk in fear or doubt, and He didn’t stop there either. God is not finished with His reasons for coming. He won’t stop either, not until it is completely finished in each one of us. EACH. That’s all of us. He wants to complete each and every one of us. And, He has given us all we need to be all He created us to be. He contin...

Wow, it's been a few months. I've attempted to write a couple times, but just either didn't have the time or didn't know what to say. Since August, much has changed, including the birth of my first grandchild. Brayden Maddox came into the world Sept 24. He is healthy and all are doing well. Since August, Brittani, Andy & Brayden all moved in. Cozy & crowded, but I like it :) Since August, my husband has been sticking around the house more, watching movies with us. Since August, my mom was in and out of the hospital again. Since August, my niece Ashley came out to visit and my nephew Thomas announced that he and his wife are expecting a baby. Since August, we had a great time on Thanksgiving with too much food, surrounded by family. Since August, someone got ahold of our debit card number and charged over 150 dollars worth of gas. Since August, the head gasket on my explorer died... Hmm, right up to those last 2 (and my mom being in the hospital) it...

I’ve been trying to figure out what I could have done differently (as many parents do), like what I could have done to prevent my children from trying drugs; my sons from stealing; my son from being so angry; my son from leaving home and turning back to drinking and drugs; what would have helped all of them apply themselves more; what I will do with my youngest; how I could be a better parent, wife. I could go on. It’s not regretting things, it’s more then that. It’s trying to figure out how I could have done things better. How I could have done more, even what I shouldn’t have done. See, most recently it’s really been “in my face.” Having one child take to the streets is hard. I find myself wondering if I’d do the same thing if it were one of my other kids, wondering if it’s what God really wants me to do. And then it hits me, although even in this next thought I question myself. I realize I am trying to save my kids. Not just from making mistakes, I kn...

After watching my parents this last week, I’d have to say a very critical part of staying married is just that, staying married. And, putting up with each others flaws. Not ignoring them like they don’t exist, but learning how to live with differences. We are not created equal. There WILL be things that others do that bother us or we wish were different. When you live day to day with some of those issues, you MUST make the choice to look past a LOT of things. One other thing. My dad is what I like to call an “introvert” romantic. Meaning he doesn’t express things all the time. Its why it became important for my mom to pay attention to the things he did that showed he loved her. One time that really stands out is when my mom was in the hospital. Starting with the time he talked to her right as she was admitted, he told her he loved her. Then, despite his own health issues, he insisted on visiting, bringing flowers the 1 st visit. And last, knowing she would be...