Mocha with Who?! and Wednesday Hodgepodge

Hello, does anyone remember me?! My name is Linda and I have a blog! I'm actually beginning to get my head above water just a bit, and I might actually start posting on here a little more frequently! I don't even know how to describe May other than stressful and exhausting. But God was faithful to provide and we made it through the month. My sister is relatively settled in an assisted living facility, although we are still waiting for her ship to come in -- literally! The crate with her belongings being shipped from South America is somewhere between there and here.

School is finished and my boy graduated from high school. (It's amazing that they give diplomas to children who should still be in elementary school!) It was such a fun occasion and we are so very proud of him.

And our time with GG is winding down. Her mom arrived last week and they are spending time doing some tourist-y things around here before we have a farewell party to send them off in a little less than two weeks.

So I thought this would be a good week to hop back in on the Wednesday Hodgepodge!



1. Do you and your family enjoy camping? What do you enjoy most/like the least when it comes to family camping? When was the last time you camped?

My man and the kids love camping. I like it in theory but my back is less enthused with sleeping on the ground! I do think nothing tastes better than food cooked over an open fire! We haven't camped as a family since my boy was in Cub Scouts, although he and my man obviously have camped many times as he made his way up through Boy Scouts up to Eagle.

2. Did you attend a summer camp when you were a kid? Is that a happy or not so happy memory?

The first summer camp I was going to attend was GA (missions) camp in sixth grade. Unfortunately, it dumped torrential rains just a few days before that and flooded the camp and it was canceled. The only camps I attended growing up were the annual church youth camps, one week each summer. Those are less than happy memories until my last two years in high school, and then it was much better when we had moved and were in a great church with a wonderful youth group.

3. Over the course of your life, what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else?

People. I love to watch people, think about them, wonder why they do things.

4. Which of the seven natural wonders of the world would you most like to see? There are many lists of 'wonders' but this is the standard natural wonder list-Mount Everest, The Great Barrier Reef, The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, The Harbor of Rio de Janerio, Paricutan Volcano and The Northern Lights.

I've been to the Grand Canyon, so I would say Victoria Falls. I love rushing water. It fascinates me.

5. What was your first real job?

Being a clerk at Sears when I was 16. Summer jobs are great motivation to go to college!

6. Lemonade or Sweet tea...which do you prefer on a hot summer day?

Sweet tea. Lemonade makes me thirstier sometimes. And I do love an Arnold Palmer when we go out to eat - half lemonade, half tea!

7. What is something that always brings a smile to your face?

My kids. (Except when they don't!)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am sooo excited about what my man told me last night that he wants me to do for my birthday gift this year. (I have a significant birthday in August.) Still working out the details so I'm not going to say anything yet, but if it works out it will be such fun!!)


It's great to be back. I hope to be a little more regular in the days and weeks ahead although it's amazing how busy summer is. What happened to those "lazy, hazy, crazy, days of summer?!"

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Flashback Friday - Sibling Stuff

Do you have siblings? (If not, keep reading - I'll get to you.) How many and are they boys or girls? Where do you fall in the birth order? How did you view your "spot" in the family compared with the others? If you are the oldest, did you resent the things the youngest got to do that you didn't? If the youngest, what did you want to do like the older ones? And if you are more of a middle child, how did that impact you? How do you think your birth order shaped your personality? Did you and your siblings like each other growing up or did you fight all the time? Are you close now? Or at least friends with each other?! What memories stand out about you and your siblings?

If you are an only child, how did you like that? Were you glad to have all the attention or did you want to have a brother or sister? What advantages were there to being an only child? What disadvantages? Which side of the fence is greener?!

For everyone, did your sibling experiences (or lack thereof!) affect your decision to have kids or to have a certain number?

MY FLASHBACK:
I have one brother and two sisters, all older. They were 11, 9, and 7 when I was born. Most of my growing up years were spent trying to be big like just like they were. I generally really liked my siblings, although sometimes I felt like I had two additional mothers when my sisters bossed me! That was a real pain! We didn't have quite the same type of squabbles that siblings who are closer together do, but we could definitely push each other's buttons! I used to drive one sister crazy by mimicking her; even as she was talking, I could figure out what she was going to say and say it at the exact same time. But she deserved it; she made me fall off my bike and still refuses to admit it to this very day!

My brother and I have always had a special relationship. In spite of the fact that he cried when I was born and he found out I wasn't a brother! But he got over that fairly quickly. Which was a good thing, considering my crib was in his room! One of my sweetest memories with him occurred the first summer he was married, when I was almost 11. He took a week of vacation and I went to see him and my then-SIL. She was working and he and I swam in the apartment pool, played endless games of dominoes, and other miscellaneous activities. Looking back as an adult, I realize even more what a special thing that was for a guy who was 22 years old to want to be with his sister!

I was definitely treated as the baby of the family. I wasn't particularly spoiled; they just didn't always tell me everything. (And they certainly didn't let me do everything!) Even when I was in college and my mom had some major health issues, they didn't tell me all the details until a good bit later. So it was a little weird when the baby ended up being the one who cared for our mom in her later years. My missionary sister and I have also had a bit of role reversal as she feels so out of touch with American culture when she comes home that she relies on me a lot.

As far as birth order and personality characteristics go, I'm a strange mixture! I definitely have some characteristics of a youngest child. But I also have some of an only child, because I was in 6th grade when the last of the older kids went to college, so I was the only one at home for a number of years.

My brother and I were really close after my dad died in 1996; he handled all the financial aspects of my mom's care while I took care of the physical/medical stuff. We were a great team. We still have a good relationship but just don't talk as much. Our stages of life are very different. The same is true of my other sister and again, a lot of that has to do with the fact we don't have a lot in common.

I'll always remember an epiphany I had at my grandmother's funeral. After the graveside service, I remember noticing my great-aunt (my grandmother's sister), who was born when my grandmother was 18. My great-aunt was the last living sibling, and it struck me how sad and lonely she looked. I told my family, "I guess that will be me some day." Then I realized what the alternative was and decided, "I hope that's me some day!" The idea that I would bury all my siblings was sobering, but not as much as the thought of being one of the first to depart this world!

I always kinda wanted to have three kids. But my man, who is the oldest of four, just wanted two, and my pregnancies were so miserable that I'm not sure I could have managed another one!


I'm looking forward to reading your flashback! Share your sibling memories on your blog and link up here!

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Tuesday Tidbits

Blogging has brought me so many blessings, not the least of which is forging friendships with other like-minded bloggers, And occasionally, I get to meet a fellow blogger in real life!

Such was the case yesterday. The winner of last week's double giveaway was another Texas Blogging Gal. When Beth emailed me her address, we discovered that we live only about 30 minutes from each other. So instead of mailing her the books, we met at a most appropriate place: a Starbucks located inside a Barnes & Noble Bookstore! We had such a good time chatting. And she gave me a great idea for a dessert I need to take to a fajita lunch meeting today.

If you haven't "met" Beth, you need to go check out her blog. She posts some amazing recipes on there!

* * * * *
I was ready for a fun day on Monday after being slapped in the face, so to speak, on Sunday with the reality of how old I really am! A sweet young couple visited our church. The wife, Jennifer, is 32, and their oldest child is seven years old.

When Jennifer herself was seven and in the second grade, I taught her in Children's Choir at our old church. I had been out of college a couple of years. She was a sweetheart then, and she obviously is still precious because she told me "you look just the same!"

She can come back any time!!

* * * * *
Thanks so much to those of you who prayed for my missionary sister's needs while she is in the USA on medical leave. She's been here just over a week. Less than forty-eight hours before her arrival, someone called letting me know there was a fully furnished house available for her use. At no charge. Two days after her arrival, I received a call that another family had an extra car that she can use. At no charge. The man wanted to get the oil changed and some other things before she got it, and yesterday afternoon we picked up the car and got her situated at the house. Like I said before, God's never late, but He's never early either!

* * * * *
And this was at the bottom of an email I recently received:

The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

Political correctness disclaimer (and please read this Letters From Midlife blog post if you are as tired of the P.C. police as I am!): this is meant as a fun joke; in no way do I mean to disparage the folks who truly suffer from mental issues.

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Trying to Line Up the Ducks

I am an organizer. A planner. I really like for my ducks to be in a row, and it makes me crazy when they start milling about uncontrollably.

This creates a dilemma at times when my planning intersects my faith and patience in waiting on God to intervene.

Case in point: My missionary sister returns to the USA this weekend for a time of Medical Leave. Which means I have been trying to locate a place for her to live and a vehicle to use, preferably at no cost or minimal cost to her. (The IMB pays missionaries based on the economy of the country in which they serve; my sister is in a third-world South American country.) Few churches have missionary residences any more; the one she has typically used during her Stateside Assignments (previously called furlough) is occupied for the foreseeable future.

Apartments quickly get expensive. And the uncertainty of having an open-ended timeframe - she could be here 2 months or 6 months or more - makes it really difficult to find something affordable and appropriate. Then there's the whole aspect of basic furniture and a car.

So as the last 3 weeks have passed and time barrels toward this weekend, I have gotten a bit more stressed out. I am perfectly fine with God showing up at the last minute with provision. I would just like Him to tell me He's gonna show up! But alas, while He's never late, He's also never early. And since He created the ducks, He can certainly get them lined up correctly.

So I wait and wait and wait. . . .

And my God will meet all your needs
according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:19)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him
Psalm 37:7

I waited patiently for the LORD;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1
I wait for You, O LORD;
You will answer, O Lord my God
Psalm 38:15

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:24-26


Somehow it doesn't surprise me that there are no Scripture verses containing the word ducks!

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Monday Miscellany

This week's Target ad makes me feel really old. It proclaims that this is Dollar Week. Which mean all the prices end in ".00". As in $5.00. $7.00. $10.00. You get the idea. I remember when Dollar Week meant stuff was $1.00. Heading into my senior year in college, I stocked most of my first apartment's kitchen & bath with Target's Dollar Week stuff. And no, I didn't carry it all in a covered wagon!

Thanks so much for your interest and concerns in the saga of my sister's furlough housing. (I know the IMB has changed the name to Stateside Assignment, but furlough is so much easier to write!) The church who owns the missionary house verified that the retiring missionaries will indeed be moved out by February 1. The woman at the apartment complex was more than gracious and understanding about my backing out of the agreement, although she was unable to refund my earnest money, which I knew I would lose. The gas company, however, is refunding the $90 deposit I paid to begin service, which was an incredible surprise and blessing.

And the best thing about this house is: it is fully furnished, so I don't have to spend time soliciting donations or loans of furniture, kitchen items, etc.

Now I "just" have to find her a reliable car! But God is faithful and He's always come through before. My job is not to stress out over it!

Today is my final (hopefully) visit with the ortho doctor for my foot. I am mostly pleased with how quickly it has healed. There are still areas of tenderness with certain types of movement, so I want to be sure I address that with him, especially in light of the dismal results of my bone density test. But every time I see someone on crutches now, I feel a special empathy for them!

The Iwo Jima puzzle is slowly progressing. We have completed all the lower areas along with the flag. Now all that's left is the sky. Cloudy, gray & white sky.

I never knew puzzles were such character builders. The process certainly brings to light areas in which I need more patience. One is in not letting my "pet peeves" get under my skin so much. While I appropriately correct my girl when she smacks her gum, I do recognize that it is virtually impossible to eat the last bit of a candy cane silently. And yet the crunching can absolutely Send.Me.Up.The.Wall. And yet I know one of these days way too soon I'll be wishing she were here crunching her candy!

Please tell me it's not just me! So just for fun, what little things drive you nuts? You don't even have to say who does them! (But I'll feel a lot better if it's your kids!)

Have a great Monday!

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I Just Thought It Was Settled!

Ahh, the calm after the holidays, when the days stretch out with little or no stress and December's mile-long To Do List morphs into January's wintry simplicity.

Or not.

I blogged on Monday about the glorious way God has provided an apartment for my soon-to-be-on-Stateside-Assignment missionary sister. Well, He is still blessing. Either that, or He's messing with us. (Yes, I'm joking!)

And I am stressing.

I mentioned that there is a local church with a missionary house where she has stayed the last 2 times she's been on S.A. That house has been booked for quite some time to house some missionaries for an entire year. We have checked repeatedly. Still not available.

Yesterday, I received a call from that church. Seems the missionary couple has decided to retire. They have bought a house, already closed, and are in the process of moving. The missionary house is likely to be available. Rent-free, furnished.

But as of noon today, the coordinator has been unable to get in touch with the couple to verify that they will be out of the missionary residence by February 1.

And tomorrow, I'm supposed to complete the lease signing at the apartment so I can fax it to the electric company, along with proof of DNA documentation proving my Power of Attorney status. (I won't even go into the conversation with the gal at the electric company who couldn't seem to grasp what POA means and kept insisting she had to personally talk to my sister to set up service!)

So. . . .earnest money has been paid to the apartment. Deposit has been made to the gas company. Compared to the amount to be paid in rent and the hassle of finding furniture, kitchen stuff, etc., that's not much money to lose.

But I'm still waiting on a definite answer. Does my sister have 1 or 2 places to live? Or if I'm not careful, will we be back to zero? And why all the upheaval when it looked like God had provided so magnificently? Is this the heavenly version of Bait & Switch?

I know why I've had a migraine all day!

Who has understood the mind of the Lord. . . ? (Isaiah 40:13)



(Just so you know - I'm not in a faith crisis. I just don't do very well with waiting and unknowns. Especially when the ducks line up so nicely and then get out of their rows!)

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Immeasurably More Than We Ask or Imagine

It's almost time.

In a little less than a month, my sister will arrive, this time for furlough Stateside Assignment. She'll be here for 4 months, until the end of May.

A dilemma has been where she will live. Churches don't have missionary houses like they used to; the one she stayed in the last 2 times she was on S.A. is booked. Our church has designated a portion of their missions budget to help pay for housing for her.

But have you tried to rent an apartment for 4 months lately? Most won't do a lease for less than 6 months. The few that will rent on a month-to-month basis triple the rent. Understandable since many folks abuse rental property. But not practical for a missionary who is paid according to the economy of the third-world country in which she serves.

So today, I called two apartment locators. The first one told me I was delusional explained what I just told you in the above paragraph about leases and rates.

The second one was interested and knew someone who had gone on a mission trip, and said he would check around and call me back in one hour.

He told me much of the same story.

Except he said there was one apartment complex.

With one apartment available beginning the end of this month. For which they would do a 4-month lease. For less than $700/month. And waive the deposit and application fees, which amounted to about $400.

I zipped right over. Turns out the woman at the complex is a Christian. Recently heard a missionary from China speak at her church. Less than 2 hours after my initial call to the apartment locator, I signed a lease.

And the complex? Gated. Secure. And barely two miles from our house, and the same complex where my girl's viola teacher lives.

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

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Odds & Ends

I thought for sure I'd get my groove back and be back to normal blogging this week. Obviously I was delusional. But I did want to share a few random thoughts.

1) We finally made it through The Season. My husband's birthday last night closed out our annual August/September marathon of all of our birthdays plus our anniversary plus the start of school. I had no idea, when I posted on August 1 about the start of those crazy weeks that were about to descend, what would be added to the midst of that.

2) My sister and I have finally managed to play a little Scrabble - 3 games, I think. It's been a time to relax and also just talk a little about our mom as things come to mind. And yes, I won all 3 games. She heads back to South America Thursday morning.

3) Getting the official death certificate makes it really official and final. Very sobering. How thankful I am for the hope we have in Christ.

4) It is very annoying when the funeral home gives you a sales spiel presentation on prearranging your own funeral at the time that you are picking up the death certificates. And when they act like they are generous in giving you a discount if you do it within 30 days. Of course those 30 days started when you signed the contract for your mother's services, which has already been 2 weeks ago. Here's a hint for them: Don't try to pressure me into doing something at an emotionally charged time in my life. I respond the exact opposite from what they want - it makes me want to never step foot on their premises again.

5) Video posts of blog friends talking are hilarious and a great stress relief at the end of the day when #3 & 4 have happened. I've got to figure out how to do it next time.

6) I have been utterly blessed by the loving and prayerful support of friends, both local and in blogland, over these last weeks. And two sweet gals from church sent me a gift certificate to a local spa for a massage. I. Can't. Wait.

6) I still need to get my van fixed!

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. I Corinthians 15:19

. . .we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. I Thessalonians 4:13-14

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Read All About It!

Have you taught your kids how to read a banana?

No?! You say you don't know how to read one yourself?

Well, pull up a blog and have a seat!

Here's another question: Have you ever longed for a practical way to instill a heart for missions in your kids (or yourself) and remember to pray for missionaries? You may be surprised to find that these two things go hand in hand, or should I say, banana in hand!

The next time you are at the grocery store, pick up some bananas. Look at the sticker that should be on at least one of the bananas in the bunch. You will notice that in addition to the brand name, such as Dole or Chiquita, it will also say what country the banana was imported from.

This banana is from Ecuador. Right there in the store you and/or your kids can say a silent prayer for that country and the missionaries serving there. You can encourage your children to pray for the kids in that country, that they would learn about Jesus.

Other fruits have stickers like this too - the produce department can become an international missions adventure!

My sister came up with this since so many bananas come from South American countries. We found bananas with stickers from the country where she serves and she uses them. She often uses audience participation - she asks for a 1st or 2nd grader who is anxious to show off their new reading skills to come up to the front to read something for her. They come up all excited and proud, and then she hands them a banana and asks them to read it and they look at her like she has lost her mind!

But when she did this at my church, moms told me weeks later that their kids wanted to read the bananas in the grocery store and pray for the kids in those countries!

And now you, too, are among the elite banana-reading public! Who knew blogs could be so informative!

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Adios

She's gone.

I hugged my sister good-bye and back she went to South America yesterday. Of course, yesterday was also the day American Airlines chose to ground a certain type of plane, thereby cancelling the first leg of her flight! It's a long day under the best of circumstances as she has to fly to Dallas and then Miami before her final destination. They got her rescheduled pretty quickly, but by the time she was in Miami, the entire AA network was a mess, and her flight out of Miami was 2 hours late leaving.

But she made it safely there, and after leaving our house just before 7:00 a.m., she made it home about midnight. Nothing like coming home rested from vacation!

Meanwhile, I've had a rock in my midsection ever since she's been gone, missing her. I know, I know! What an oxymoron I am! Can't live with her, can't live without her!

We were talking with my pastor on Sunday about some of the dangers she faces, including the armed robberies she has experienced, and the fact that she was making sure that I know where all of her important papers, passwords, etc. are kept in case something happens to her. I told the pastor (in my sister's presence!) that it seems like there could be a happy medium between her being in my spare bedroom and being killed!

It's easy to banter about the situation, but the reality is that each time I tell her good-bye, it is in the back of my mind that it could be the last time. That's true for any of us, of course, but living in a dangerous, impoverished, and politically corrupt third-world country (which borders one known for its drug trade) raises the risk.

Do I trust God to take care of her? Absolutely! But I also know that His promises are for His presence and eternal safety and His glory. Physical comfort and safety are not necessarily guaranteed. Just ask the apostles or any of a long list of those who have been martyred for their faith.

And yeah, I beat the socks off of her in Scrabble. But the victory wasn't as sweet as I anticipated. Because we have never had such a lopsided marathon. And I worry that the effect of living in such a high-alert, tense situation is beginning to take its toll on her.

Of course, I wasn't worried enough to "throw" the game! What would be the honor in that?! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. . . . .

So if you think about it, please pray for her and for all the missionaries serving around the world. And the ones back home who love them could use a little prayer too.

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My Mission

Let the Games begin.

My sister, an IMB missionary in South America, is on an airplane heading this way for 30 days of vacation. We will spend much of our time trying to annihilate each other in Scrabble.

This is serious business. Once when she was here years ago, we actually quit playing 2 days before she left. We were tied in the number of games we had each won, and neither wanted to risk losing bragging rights for the next several years.

She will be staying with us. And since this is just a vacation, she will have no transportation except for me, myself, and I.

As glad as I am to see her come, I'm generally just as glad to see her go! You know how sisters can be: we alternately adore each other and drive each other nuts.

I hope I didn't just burst any bubbles you had about perfect missionaries.

If so, it's not the first time:

Years ago, she was on furlough (now it's called stateside assignment) and was based in Houston since we hadn't moved my mom up here by me. I think my dad may have still been living. Anyway, a fairly new friend of hers from the church in whose missionary residence she was staying came to dinner at my folks' house. She was pretty impressed with this "real live missionary" (as opposed to a real dead one, I guess! That term always cracks me up) and had her a bit on a pedestal.

During the evening she asked me, "So Linda, what's it like to have a sister who's a missionary?" I laughed and said, "Well, I used to think missionaries were these really special perfect people, but now I know anyone can be a missionary." The friend looked shocked and a bit horrified! She hadn't lived with my sister! LOL

In all fairness, I will say that yes, missionaries ARE special, and my sister has followed God's calling on her life unswervingly. She is 7 years older than I and has been with the Board 25 years; she works tirelessly (actually, she's exhausted!) with juvenile delinquents, prostitutes, and house churches; and she has been accosted by armed men several times.

But perfect she is not. And though I love her dearly, she still makes me crazy.

And I'm gonna beat her boooo-tox off in Scrabble.

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