We Can't Make Time But We Can Take It

How many of you have the best of intentions to get things done (and done right) at the start of your day, and then something happens?  Things don't go as planned.  One simple, unexpected thing can send you in a tailspin.  Before you know it, the best of your intentions are thrown right out the window, along with your sanity.  And even though the game changer can be something little, the impact somehow becomes huge for the rest of your day.  Whatever it is, you suddenly feel like your day has gone to a certain bad kind of hand basket, if you know what I mean.  I hate when that happens!!  Does this ever happen to you?

That's exactly what happened to me yesterday.  The plan was toddler takes a nap in his new big boy bed = quiet time for this mom to get a quick shower, fold some laundry, do some blogging, return a few phone calls, and regroup before the big brothers come home from school.  Ambitious for two hours, I know.  Well, my plan was quickly shoved out the window by a toddler who spent nap time wiggling his little diapered caboose out of bed as fast as I could put him in and cover him up.  After what felt like the 100th time of putting him back in the bed, I have to be honest. My precious brown eyed little miracle was testing my patience and messing with my blood pressure.  I followed The Supernanny's bedtime advice with the best of intentions.  You know, I was determined to show him who was boss, my will against his, and I found myself getting more frustrated and agitated by the minute.

The day was downhill from there.  Two hours later I gave up on the toddler sleeping possibility.  If he wasn't going to nap, I'd show him.  So, out of determination to smell better for my husband when he returned home from work and for the safety of my sleep deprived, whiny, door opening toddler, I decided to put up a baby gate at the entrance to his room.  Then I ran to take a shower.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I returned from my shower to find (brace yourself) he had pooped in his diaper, reached in and grabbed a chunk of his own stinky stuff, and smeared it all over the baby gate and adjacent door frame.  As if that wasn't bad enough, he then picked up a bucket full of toys and one by one with his dirty hands, my little stinker (no pun intended), hurled his toys through his open door, over the banister, crashing them into the foyer below.  A second later the big brothers walked through the door ready to do homework and eat a snack.  And did I mention, I needed to start cooking dinner?

So like I was saying, the smallest thing can be a game changer, having huge impact and throwing good intentions out the window.  It might be a broken copy machine or a computer crash, a phone call or irritating conversation, a canceled appointment, a traffic jam, bad weather, one task takes longer than you anticipated.  There's no telling.  Think about it.  On any given day, there are tons of unexpected little somethings hiding and waiting to poo-poo all over your plans, your best intentions, and your clear thinking...leaving you with a messy day.

It's all the possible little somethings and Jesus' words in John 14 that convince me to give the FiRST part of every day to God, and for good reasons.

1.  Giving God the FiRST part of my morning means I am guaranteeing him room in my day. Pastors Greg Surratt and Josh Surratt of Seacoast Church poignantly point out in Make Room: Creating Space for God, "It doesn't matter what we say is important to us if we don't make room for it.  What we make room for is what is really important to us."  God is getting priority when we spend time with him before we do anything else, leaving less room for little somethings to get in the way of our good intentions.  Jesus tells us himself in John 14:6,

"I am the way and the truth and the life."

Who doesn't want "the life" grounded in truth?  Why wouldn't we?  And if I am not spending time with God first, I certainly don't want to take a chance that I am going the wrong way, grounded in lies and death.  Yuck!!



 

2.  Giving God the FiRST part of the day connects us to the daily resource and companion we have in the Holy Spirit.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14: 16-18)

If we can't see the Holy Spirit, and the world we enter when we leave our homes doesn't always know him, we could possibly go through an entire day, week, month, or year without this perfect, personal GPS system we have in God.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather get my directions FiRST before I get lost, and just maybe I won't make as many wrong turns along the way.


3. Giving God the FiRST part of our day means our hearts are open to hear God's speaking to us, and we can let him work through us.  Then, we are equipped to put our faith into action.  Pastor Greg Surratt puts it this way, "We CAN'T make God move, but we CAN make room for God to move (Make Room: Creating Space for God to Work)." Why is that important, you wonder?

Put yourself in Philip's shoes. Jesus tells him AND you,

“Don’t you know me, Philip [put your name here]  even after I have been among you such a long time?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?  The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.  Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:9-12)

Did you hear that?  If we give God room, he is going to show up.  AND Jesus tells us our works will be evidence of God's presence in our lives.  In fact, Jesus says, we can do even greater works through Christ than the ones we know about because he died for us.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss out on that!

Taking time for God FiRST suggests that i am not large and in charge.  For me, that means i start my day by inviting God to have a cup of coffee with me in my pjs before i do anything else.  Apart from my bad morning breath, it also means that even on the messiest of days, i can be thankful that God is working it for good in his purpose perfect plan (Romans 8:28). What does taking time for God FiRST mean for you?  For sure, we will have better days than we could ever have on our own, better weeks, better months, better years, better lives when we do!

A prayer for today-

Heavenly Father,
i thank you for always showing up when i take time to be with you.  i thank you for your purpose perfect plans for my life and all the ways you reveal yourself to me each day.  i pray you will give me the open heart i need at the start of each day to hear your Holy Spirit and do your work in the world.  May i glorify you and bless others in all that i do, recognizing my constant need for you.
In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, I pray,
Amen.

Love and blessings,

PS.  I love hearing your thoughts on what you read and how faith and life are going for you!  Please, please, please feel free to share the blog with others.  I share my story so some good might come out of it!  Thanks so much for reading.  You are the reason I write. :)

Grab a Bible

So, I invited you to come on this faith journey with me, finding ways to grow closer to God, making more room for him to work in my life, and yours too.  Lets just cut right to the chase today and grab a Bible. After all, that is the source of all we know about God's creation and the history of Christianity.

These are the Bible choices I rounded up in my own house.  We have a few other children's Bible choices too, but we'll save that for another blog.  What do you end up with when you reach for a Bible?

These are the Bibles that were given to my husband and me growing up.  Anytime I wanted to do a little reading, I would just grab the Bible my church gave me on the day I finished confirmation (The Living Bible). My husband's Bible was the black King James Version you see pictured.  He would start with his, try to read it, and then head for my high school youth Bible you see in green.  As silly and simple as it sounds, it never occurred to me that I could and should be more intentional about my Bible choice.   While these Bibles are definitely sentimental to us, they are not necessarily the most readable and workable for us.

If we are going to make room for God, learning and growing together, then we need to really study the Bible we choose to read.  I want to work to make the words come to life.  We have to be able to listen to the stories and words of God before Christ and from centuries ago and apply them to 2013. The Bible's words might be ancient, but they are applicable, real, necessary, and sacred today in our own life stories.

There are lots of different versions of the Bible, coloring the way we read the words.  The core meaning of the words remains constant, but the same verse can speak to us very differently depending on the translation we are reading. It comes down to personal preference, and I encourage you to figure out what version of the Bible speaks to you, all sentimentality aside.

Bible Gateway (www.biblegateway.com) is a great free Bible resource for Bible research AND reading.  I use it all the time and will probably refer to it again and again. They also have an app if you have a tablet or smart phone.  There are over 40 English Bible translations listed on the website.  Pick a favorite chapter or verse like Psalm 139 and try the different translations on for size. Which one speaks to you?  

My favorite for daily reading and study is the New International Version. Once I figured this out, I purchased a copy that I felt I could highlight, make notes in, and take with me wherever I go. Of course there are lots of choices out there, even free ones, but I decided on this electronic version that I could put on my iPad and Kindle. There are hard copies available too. 



I found this one at Amazon.com.

Hopefully, this post helps you find a Bible that speaks to you and inspires you.  Time is the next issue.  Look for more details on that soon.  I can't wait to  dive into reading about all God's good works.  Psalm 139: 13-14 reminds us that WE are a part of his good works.  WE are his masterpieces, all the more reason to read.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Please don't forget to sign up to follow A Mind Maker Upper, and invite friends to join us as we go along. I always love hearing from you if you feel like leaving a comment! 

My prayer for you today-

Mighty God,

Thank you for this blog and all of its readers.  Thank you for for all of your wonderful works and the ways in which you speak to our hearts.  Lord, please guide us as we become intentional about reading and learning about you, your son Jesus, and your stories of saving grace in the Holy Bible.  Help us to discern your will for us, and may your word transform our lives and become an active part of a stronger everyday faith.

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen

Blessings,



Continuing the Story

When my family was faced with the harsh and very sudden reality that my mom was living with stage IV breast cancer seven months ago, we had no idea what that meant.  I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it was like we were blind folded, bound together, and thrown over a deep dark cliff, only to find out jumping didn't mean the end was near.  Instead we landed in a shadowy, uncertain, unknown, steep valley with a sharp, jagged, and impatient learning curve.  Although we were all hoping to be air lifted back to the safety net we knew before Mom got sick, we quickly realized that the only thing we could do was fall to our knees and start rock climbing together to higher ground.  And that's what we did, inch by inch, sometimes just to be run over by an avalanche that made us feel like we were hitting bottom again and again, more wounded than before with each backwards fall.  Little did we know, each fall was making us stronger and stronger even though it didn't appear we were gaining much ground.


Maybe some of you can relate.  Maybe it's some devastating life altering news.  Maybe it's a few bad decisions, and now there are serious consequences to face.  Maybe it's a soul eating secret.  Maybe it's debilitating worry, anxiety, or fear.  Maybe it's a marriage gone bad or a serious illness.  Maybe the odds aren't good. Maybe it's a deep wound or a strong need to be in control.  Whatever the struggle, maybe some of you have been there with us, forcefully pushed over a similar cliff, or maybe you jumped over the cliff yourself.

That's how we felt, and yet today I can stand tall and share The Good News.  Each one of us tells our story a little differently, but we all agree that our story is one of our biggest blessings.  Yes, I said blessings.  Going over that cliff and facing Mom's cancer as a family has been one of our biggest and unexpected blessings.

Please don't get me wrong.  It has been one of the hardest things our family has ever been through.  I would not wish cancer on anyone.  Cancer hurts, and it takes down good people with a lot of heart and life in them.  We hear the word "cancer," and we pray that's not what the biopsy shows.  But, when cancer smacks you in the face, there's a bigger story to tell.  For those of you who have followed our story, you know that ours has been dramatic and full of surprises.  The day we discovered mom had been living with breast cancer for years and did not tell anyone, well, that was the first in a series of many tough, painful days.  (For the full story, please feel free to visit Mom's CaringBridge site under Patty Bridges.)

The bigger picture to our story has been about letting go of the misconception that being strong and successful in life means becoming independent, self-sufficient beings who can control our own outcomes, if only we work hard "enough" at it and do "enough" good deeds in the world.  Our story has also been about digging deep to acknowledge and forgive our mistakes, recognizing that we all make them.  Our story has been about finding joy and love in the things that really matter and freeing ourselves from the things that don't.  Easier said than done for sure.  Without going into the details, watching someone you love suffer so much is the hardest part of cancer.  I have already seen and done things I never wanted to see and do.  Yet, I am thankful for all the blessings that have come from holding mom's hand as she learns to live with this terrible disease.

I didn't know life could hurt this much and still be so healing at the same time.  That sounds like an oxymoron at first, but it's not. It's God's word coming to life, y'all!  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will set your paths straight."  Mom's cancer completely stopped me in my tracks.  I don't know about you, but my natural inclination when problems arise is to pray a few prayers and work as hard as I can to keep going.  I try to organize the issues, call on the right resources, and act on the right series of steps to fix things.  In turn, I can usually get the situation under control.   Mom's cancer blew my usual action plan to smithereens.  It was way too big, completely beyond my understanding, and very unknown.  The only thing I had control over was my relationship with God, so I clung to it everyday, all day.  I've never prayed so much in all my life.  It hasn't been a neat or pretty process, and it sure hasn't been a quick fix either.  But the second I accepted the fact that being strong meant being totally dependent on God, I was able to experience miracles in me and in those around me.  Admitting ALL of my weakness and making room for God to just come in and take over EVERYTHING, gives God bigger space to do HUGE things, showcasing all His power and glory.

The key to my story was not the outcome of the situation but acknowleging that I had no idea what was best for me.  I knew what I thought I wanted, a perfectly healthy mom, but God wanted so much more for me and my family than I could imagine for myself.  Today, my mom is still living with stage IV breast cancer, and there were times my sister and I wondered if she would make it to Christmas.  Sometimes I wondered if we would make it too.  But you know what?  Mom not only celebrated Christmas with us this year, she is working, cooking, enjoying her Duke sports, laughing with friends again, and taking her grandchildren for ice cream.  She's doing the things doctors told us she might not ever do again.  The power of prayer is amazing.   Family, friends, neighbors, classmates, colleagues, co-workers, doctors, nurses, and personal cheerleaders are all evidence of God's grace.  These are miracles for this century, y'all, and I have a front row seat.

My experiences have inspired a lot of thinking.  They definitely changed me.  Instead of destroying me and my family, they make me want to love harder, laugh more, pray without holding back and be a person that does not wait for dire circumstances to seek God in everything I do.   Maybe some of you can relate to what I'm saying.  It wasn't that I didn't have faith before.  It wasn't that I didn't have a relationship with God and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  It wasn't even that I didn't go to church and try some Bible studies and mission opportunities once in a while.  It was that in everyday life, I didn't do a good job integrating my faith into everyday stuff.  And it wasn't because I didn't want to.  My intentions were good.

In our culture, it's way too easy to become lost, distracted and so busy that we either don't take time for God, we don't think we have the time, or we don't think we need Him until we find ourselves in a desperate situation.  For me, as a mom of 3 young boys, even when I make the time, the logistics of physically going somewhere on a weekly basis to spend time in fellowship with God is very difficult.  Babysitters cost money, there's homework to do, someone turns up sick with the latest cold or virus, my husband is out of town, timing conflicts with nap time, we oversleep, and the list goes on.  You might have other things on your own list.  Without realizing it, faith often gets compartmentalized to words without application, our "church friends", Sundays, special occasions, or our crisis moments.  Look again with me though, "Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in ALL your ways submit to him and he will set your paths straight."  What would happen if we did trust God with ALL our ways, giving HIM more room and time to do extraordinary things in every aspect of our daily lives?  If God can work through me in such a life changing situation as Mom's journey with cancer, how much more can he do if I make room for him in the ordinary, nooks and crannies of everyday moments?

I could work on growing with God privately in the safety net of my own quiet time.  That sure sounds better than what I'm about to do, but I feel like God is calling me to keep sharing my story.  I am not going to lie, this is a scary leap of faith for an extremely private person who loves her alone time.  I am a far cry from a Bible expert, and I make tons of mistakes on any given day.  I'm just a normal imperfect person, a daughter, a wife, a mom, a friend, a neighbor, a woman on a mission to figure out ways to make more room for God in my life.

So I want to invite you to come along on your own time and in your own space.  I am talking about sharing a God-centered faith grounded in grace and the life and death of Jesus Christ.  I am talking about living for a God that is strong, purpose-perfect, not picture-perfect, loving, honest, candid, transforming, necessary.  I am talking about a God that meets you wherever you are in your faith journey, accepting, patient, forgiving, unconditional, timeless, all knowing and all powerful. 

Let's start growing in our faith together by going straight to the source.  Grab a Bible (I'll help with that in another post), and let's see what God's word is telling us each day.  Sign-up to follow the blog and invite others to join us.  Let's put our faith to work and see what God has in store for us when we are willing to grow closer to Him.  Stay tuned for more details in blogs to follow very soon.  

God always has a bigger story to tell...

 My prayer for all you-

Heavenly Father,

I thank you for each person that reads this blog.  I thank you for each of our lives and the stories you are telling through us of your transforming love and grace.  As I share my story, I pray it will help others find new and exciting ways to get closer  to you.  We know that with Christ, we are able to do "immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine" for Your glory, Lord.

I pray this prayer in the name of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen

May the Lord bless you and your families, friends,

To read more posts on Mom's story, use the links below:

• Redefining Extraordinary
• Getting My Head In the Game
• More to Mom's Story
• What a Difference a Year Makes
• Who's Your Daddy, Cancer?
• Words Sweet to the Soul...

The Unlikely Runner

Let me just start by saying I am NOT a runner.  I never have been; and I used to say with certainty, I never would be.  Don't get me wrong.  I believe in exercise for the mind, body, and spirit.  I enjoy taking time for a good workout a few days a week, but I have spent most of my life avoiding running like the plague.  Why?  The number one reason is that I am, for sure, just not good at it.  It does not come easy to me.  And because I am not good at it, I don't like doing it.  Even though I am a small person, running makes me feel like a five ton elephant sucking wind through a cocktail straw.  Not fun.

Then, I got to thinking.  People do it all the time.  And those who run, love it.  What's the draw?  I have to admit that it does sound good.  It must be nice to get outside, enjoy some peace and quiet, maybe a little music, take in some scenery, get the endorphins going, and release some stress.  Ahh, if only it went like that for me.  Usually, that's as far as I let my mind go.

Recently, though, I was inspired by an important person in my life.  At 70, this person was still motivated to run like the wind, miles at a time.  And yes, I said 70 and miles with an "s."  He would still be running his regualar three miles to this day, but he has to take a break for right now because he has a bigger, more important marathon to win.  Cancer.  Cancer that makes breathing a form of exercise. 

So while this person I admire is fighting with all his heart to win this marathon, I am running.  And everytime I start sucking air, I think of him.  Stay tuned to see how it goes...  He has inspired me to run.
...

Well, I first began writing this post in May of this year.  My first run was on May 4th.  I recorded it, and every run since, on the "Map My Run" app on my iPhone.  I have no idea how far I went that first day, because even though I thought I was being all professional and runnerish, I didn't enable the GPS on my phone.  I do know, without a doubt, it was horrible, and I didn't go very far in my 25 minutes of complete and total ungraceful overexertion.  I hated it.  I sucked air five seconds in and couldn't even make it a half a mile without stumbling to a walk.  I was in way over my head and thought about quitting the entire time. I have never felt so out of shape in my life, despite the fact that I worked out regularly 3-4 days a week.  You know what kept me from quitting?  My 71 year old uncle.  I was running for him because I knew if he could, he would gladly out run me any day of the week.  I also know, he was a smart man; so if he loved running, there must be something to it.

Now, it's seven months later.  A lot has happened since May and that excruciating first attempt at running.   In October, my uncle won his marathon and is now enjoying victory laps in Heaven, cancer free.  My cousins would probably say he's tearing up the dance floor too.  I am still running despite my initial dislike and avoidance.  I can now say that I love to run, and I enjoy the stress relief that comes with it.  It clears my head and rejuvenates my soul.  I need to run these days.  Running is a metaphor for life from so many facets.  Sometimes you find yourself doing things you never thought you could do.  Those hard and exhausting things, whatever they are for us personally, help us grow.  With determination, faith, patience, and an open heart, those things we once avoided, feared, thought we couldn't do- they eventually strengthen us and turn in to blessings full of purpose.

My uncle Ralph sure had a good thing going.  His life was full of examples we could follow to
make us better people, far too many to put in a blog.  He inspired me and so many others way beyond his strength as a runner.  He lives on in spirit and the legacy of the family and friends he loves so much.  Sending love and hugs to you, Uncle Ralph!

Getting my Head in the Game

Mom's friends surprised her with an indoor tailgate party....special ladies!

 My nature, sometimes to a fault, is to be an extremely guarded and private person, but I feel like I should share some of the things I am going through lately in hopes that maybe some of what I am experiencing may help someone else. 

In keeping my posts real and honest, I have to admit to you that I am having a difficult time lately focusing on what is right in front of me.  I feel like I am living separate lives, and I am not transitioning well at all from one to the other.  When I am in one place, my brain is still in the other and vice versa.  The result is just a big mess and a lot of worry.  And what good does worry do?  No good.  It certainly cannot fix anything.

I am realizing the problem with letting my mind wander to other places rather than staying right where I am in the moment is that I miss the extraordinary things happening right in front of me.  I say all the time that my faith gets me through life.  And while that is absolutely true, it's hard sometimes to know how to do that.  

It's easy to get lost when we are caught up in the emotion and logistics of our highest of life's highs, our most boring of life's plateaus, or our lowest of life's lows.  So, what does having faith really mean?  How do you live a life of faith?  How do you call on your faith and lean on it when you need it most?

What I am talking about is a loaded question that I ask myself all the time.  I wonder if I am doing things right for the God I love so much.  

As I was driving home from taking care of my mom last week, I realized that I was spending so much time worrying about what was going to happen next and what I needed to do next to take care of things here and there that I was completely overlooking all the ways God is trying to take care of me, and they are RIGHT in front of me, no matter where I am or what time of day it is. 

I have to remind myself that faith is letting go and letting God meet my needs in the moment, not just sometimes, but in every moment of every single day.  

Faith, however, is NOT believing and hoping that God is going to do what I want Him to do.

In fact, what I want may be completely wrong for me, and I have to face those facts.  Faith is loving God and trusting His path for me enough to put His direction ahead of my own best thought out plans.  And I know I fall short of doing that more often than not.  The hardest thing about being a Christian and being faithful, at least for me, is that despite my best intentions and efforts, I am selfish, and I like to think that I can somehow control my circumstances and help them turn out the way I think is best. 

Thank goodness God is smarter and much more powerful than me because I do not know what I am doing.  If it were up to me to fix things, who knows how things would end up, and I'd kill myself getting there. 

If faith means I have to trust God and His path for me, then I have to talk to God in prayer about EVERYTHING.  

At this point, some might wonder how I know I am not talking to air, especially considering all my family is going through right now.  My answer is, give it an honest try for yourself.  I promise that if you make the effort to talk to God and ask him to help you, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.  

You will feel His presence and peace when you look for it.  That's how good things happen, even in the worst of circumstances.  God will wrap me (and you) in His arms if we look for Him in everything that is around us.  

As Michael Hobbs puts it in his daily devotional A Servant's Song, 

"There is no problem for which God does not have an answer! The secret is to let God give us His answer, not insist that He accept ours."
 
So, as much as I am heartbroken by what is going on in my family right now, I know God is using this brokenness.  He is the ultimate Healer.  I have to trust that what is in front of me each step along the way is orchestrated by God to turn the bad into good.  If I blink, I might miss the hands or face of Christ at work in my life, and I know I don't want to miss something that extraordinary!

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  -Romans 10:13

*That picture at the top of this page is one example of the many ways God is reaching out to me when I needed reassurance right now.  How is God reaching out to you?

To read more posts on Mom's story, use the links below:

• Redefining Extraordinary
• Continuing the Story
• More to Mom's Story
• What a Difference a Year Makes
• Who's Your Daddy, Cancer?
• Words Sweet to the Soul...

Redefining Extraordinary

In case you couldn't tell already, I am not a consistent blogger.  I write when the mood hits me if I can find the time.  I have to be honest.  I am not in the mood to write today, but I am going to because I can feel the man upstairs pushing me to sit down in front of my computer.  Just a forewarning, I have no idea what is going to come out in this blog...

The last time I posted something was May.  And let me tell you, a lot has happened in my life since May.  We celebrated my husband's birthday, Mother's Day, and Father's Day in our house.  My sister and new husband moved in with us while they await the closing on their own house.  We enjoyed salt air and summer time boat rides.  We got to be a part of several beautiful weddings.  Our family of five went to Pawley's Island for a week long vacation with my husband's ginormously wonderful family.  My middle baby, now big boy, started kindergarten and my oldest went to third grade.  One of my best friends turned 40 and is still hot (I might add).  Carver decided to try out organized tackle football.  The list of events in our lives over the past few months goes on and on.  And this is how life goes for many of us.

The thing is, this list doesn't even begin to go below the surface of our very busy summer.  I started this blog over a year and a half ago while I was on bed rest with Gracen.  And today, since I began writing without knowing my purpose, I have to remind myself where I was headed with this blog in the first place.  Take a look at what I wrote in my very first blog post in reference to Oh the Places You'll Go:

  Life is definitely a journey, and the "Great Places" Dr. Seuss describes are not necessarily about traveling to far away, exotic places and becoming rich and famous for our ambitious accomplishments (even though that is a possibility). Instead, "Great Places" are for us to recognize and embrace in our here and now. "Great Places" are not an accident or luck of the draw, nor are they limited by our circumstances. Going to"Great Places" is about how we intentionally and conscientiously choose to focus our time and energy. "Great Places" exist in even the most ordinary daily lives, and if we visit them with eyes wide open, they can turn our ordinary lives into extraordinary ones.
I want to recognize and appreciate my own "Great Places." That is the whole point of my blog. For this to happen, I need to be what Dr. Seuss so cleverly terms a "mind-maker-upper." I have to stop getting caught up in my own routine rat race. Oh, the Places You'll Go! isn't just a fun and inspirational graduation book. It provides an ingenious way to welcome each of our todays, "with brains in your head and feet in your shoes," you and I can choose to be mind-maker-uppers. I can't wait to see where this revelation takes me.

Well, many of you that know me also know that I am not, at least at first glance, in one of those "Great Places" in life at the present moment.  To catch up, feel free to check out the Caring Bridge sight we have created for my mom and read her story (www.caringbridge.org/visit/pattybridges).  She was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer that has spread to her lymph nodes, spine, and skull.  Our biggest hope is that Mom's experience can change people's lives and hopefully save some.

So back to my blog, I think I was supposed to write to you today to share my story of faith.  My mom, my sister, and I are as close as it gets.  My mom has been the rock in our lives.  She is an amazingly strong woman, and she loves us the way every mother should love her children.  She has taught us to be independent, intelligent, strong women who know how to face life and face it with grace.  You can imagine how devastating this recent news has been to us.

It's a bad situation.  At the same time, I know there are millions of people out there who suffer in their own burdens.  This is just part of life.  The only good and perfect unchanging, everlasting gift is from above.  God is using me and this situation to reach out to His children who need reaching.  I am here.  My heart is open, and I am listening. 

My faith has never been stronger than it is right now.  My relationships with my mom, my sister, my husband, her husband, and my children have never been more pure, close, and more connected to our Heavenly Father.  That, friends, is the extraordinary part of my ordinary life.  There is nothing more beautiful than being able to find joy and peace in the middle of such a heartbreaking situation.  I am living proof of what faith is all about.  God, through His son, Jesus Christ, is my constant source of "extraordinary" in my ordinary life, regardless of my circumstances.  I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I know that I have all I need for what is ahead.  And even better, I know it is going to be amazing because God is in charge.  My greatest strength, I am finding, is in my weakest moments.

I pray for all who read this blog today.  May you be moved by the Holy Spirit.  May God bless you and keep you, wrapping you in His arms and walking with you on your way and guiding you in all of your days to come, giving you comfort and peace.  Amen.

To read more posts on Mom's story, use the links below:

• Getting My Head In the Game
• Continuing the Story
• More to Mom's Story
• What a Difference a Year Makes
• Who's Your Daddy, Cancer?
• Words Sweet to the Soul...

Happy Father's Day!

Doesn't get much better than a homemade bowtie, especially designed for Dad.  Isn't it beautiful?  Please notice the beautiful neon green with orange and purple tiger paw embellishments.   Lyles, my five year old, was so excited to surprise Daddy with this fashionable accessory to his professional wardrobe.  In fact, Chip had strict instructions to keep his tie on all day at work.  And you know what?  He did! 

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads in the world.

Happy Birthday Gracen!

Another extraordinary...our little miracle baby turns a year old April 23, 2012.  We've come a long way from our uncertain bed resting days, my little angel, when we were up against horrible odds and scary scientific reality.  What a difference a year makes!  All of God's grace in one sweet little face, for sure. 

April 23, 2011
8 lbs. 3oz.

April 23, 2012
19 lbs. 12oz.

If you need to see to believe, just look in these sweet little eyes.  God is amazing and the power of prayer is life changing!  Thank you, Lord, for the perfect gift you have given us in Gracen.

Weddin' Time Y'all

Mere and me at her bridesmaids' luncheon.

My sister's wedding on March 30th of this year was definitely an extraordinary event in my ordinary life.

On the funny side, I would like to draw attention to a few things I learned from my experience as the matron of honor in a family wedding.  In fact these things should probably be listed as disclaimers prior to participating in the festivities.  1) Saying weddings "bring out the best in everyone" is most certainly full of sarcasm.  2) Weddings are not days, they last all week and they are exhausting.  Pacing yourself is necessary and may require training similar to running a marathon.  3) Blowups, emotional meltdowns, fighting, sleep deprivation, lateness, and all out crazy talk are pretty much guaranteed multiple times over the course of wedding events.

My toast, that I had all intentions of giving at the rehearsal dinner, is a prime example of the disclaimers mentioned above.  I worked on the toast for weeks before the wedding to find just the right words for my sister's special occasion.  It was typed, printed, and ready to go on my desk at HOME.  Of course, that doesn't do me any good when I am on a boat in the Harbor in front of my sister, soon-to-be husband, and our closest friends and family members.  In my panic, I realized I could pull the toast up on my iPhone; but as soon as I stood up to speak, my emotions just overflowed.  Man, I tell you that toast would have been good. I don't even know what really came out. I just know that at that moment, I looked at my sister, and I was overcome with how much I love her and how thankful I am that I have her in my life.  The tears started coming and all the tiny words on my iPhone ran together.  So much for being able to read my toast to keep me from turning into a blubbering mess!  So, in an effort to redeem myself, I am going to share the toast that was "supposed to be."

From the day mom and dad brought you home from the hospital, Mere, I was hooked.  Even though I was only 4, I remember them laying you down on the middle of their king size bed to sleep.  I wanted to hold you so bad but you just kept sleeping.  Thank goodness Dad was as ancy as I was…he taught me how to sneak in the room and give you kisses on your little bald head without waking you up.  If your had any hair fuzz when you left the hospital, we surely kissed it all off by the end of your fist day home.

And that was the start of our sisterhood.  I had big plans for us, and we hit the ground running from there.   Life has always been more fun with you in it.  Who knew driving through the neighborhood could be so exciting when mom hit those curvies with just the right jerk of the wheel?  Remember the tacky, tacky deer and hee, hee, hee moments that only you and I understood?  Flying down our stairs on gymnastics mats, doing acrobatics on our collapsing trundle, dance routines and Whitney Houston, shopping with Granny’s money all by ourselves…I have to add temperature taking; it’s a wonder we’re here in one piece.  We knew how to find trouble…the splatter painting your room incident I blamed on you, peeing in your trash can, photocopying our best sides and leaving the evidence behind in mom’s office, that high speed, plunging water slide Rikki and I convinced you was such a blast to go down- that gave you nothing but water up your nose and the biggest wedgie of your life…just a few of our best moments.

All those hours of playing house under the stairs with our baby dolls have helped to prepare you for the real deal.  You are my best friend and an amazing aunt to my three boys. You are a feisty, sensitive, loving, firecracker of woman with an enormous heart. Luke is a lucky man. 

Chip and I will have been married 10 years this year, and I have always said that every woman deserves a man who loves her as much as my husband loves me.  I am so thankful Meredith has found that in you, Luke.  I knew you were a keeper from the first time I met you the weekend of Erin’s wedding.  Our family is bigger and better with you in it.  Luke, I want to welcome you and all of the Hutchins’ crew to our family where more is merrier. 

Congratulations on your marriage, Mere and Luke.  We look forward to this next chapter... I want to raise a glass to both of you.  To a life that is better together.  May your marriage be filled with constant love, abiding faith, undying hope, and the grace to forgive each other when you screw up…because you will screw up…and cheers to children of course!  Love you both.

In all seriousness, Mere and Luke's wedding was amazing.  It is a blessing to be able to celebrate happy moments as a family, big and small.  Congratulations to two of my favorite people. 

Homework

"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."     -Galatians 6:9

Roots

This is a picture I took of a small potted tulip blooming on my back porch.  It's amazing how something so simple can be so beautiful and reflect a message so much bigger than itself.

Life happens.  It does.  We get caught up in it.  Whether it sweeps us off our feet with joy, drowns us in its business, rocks us to sleep in its monotony, or smacks us in the face with its abruptness, life happens. 

For those of you that know me, I have been drifting high on life since experiencing the birth of my third little boy, Gracen.  He has definitely swept our family off our feet.  That boy is pure unexpected joy, straight from Heaven.  I believe he is living proof of the power of prayer.  Man, life is good.  God is amazing, and we couldn't be more thankful.  I have spent the last nine months since he was born thanking God for his undeserved, extraordinary gift, trying to figure out how to live my life in a way that reflects my indescribably ginormous gratefulness and thankfulness. 

Then a month ago on a Saturday night, my husband and I had a much needed date night.  Finally, a night to hear each other talk, something we don't get to do often with three boys fighting for air time.  On the way to dinner I got the phone call.  It was my dad.  His sister, my aunt, my Uncle Jimmy's wife of fifty years, the mother of four of my cousins, wasn't feeling well and had lost a lot of weight.  She was in the hospital.  Cancer.  It was all over her body.  It was incurable.  There was nothing doctors could do.  My aunt was 68 years young.  A week later, she was gone.

Bam!  Life smacked me in the face.  Just like that.  Like a huge splash of freezing cold water first thing in the morning, I was awake!  As obvious and cliche as it sounds, the news hit me like a ton of bricks.  I couldn't stop crying.  I was overcome with guilt.

Now, let me back up and give you a little background and personal confession on my guilt.  I come from a divorced family.  My parents split up when I was 6 years old, and it was not an amicable split to say the least.  The split rocked my family, immediate and extended, to the core.  Don't get me wrong, time did heal things for my sister and me, and we were able to accept our situation for the better.  But, time also created distance, especially from our dad's extended family.  Life goes on.  We grew up, and I have added to our family tree.  But, the undeniable guilt that welled up in my throat when I got my dad's phone call was most definitely from the fact that I let a woman, my aunt, go from my life without letting her know how much I respect, admire, and love her often enough.  I sure hope she could feel the power of my prayers and my family's prayers, if nothing else.

When bad things happen to good people, I find myself grasping for understanding.  Do you ever do that?  As many times as I have searched for answers, I have yet to come up with a good answer for suffering.  But what I have come to know, Beth Moore, a woman with a true gift for sharing her faith in Christ, explains beautifully.

The truth is, God uses change to change us.  He doesn't use it to destroy us or to distract us but to coax us to the next level of character, experience, compassion, and destiny (from So Long Insecurity).

I am awake. God.  I am listening. My aunt's life, from its very beginning to how she came to be with You so soon, is full of Your loving purpose.  To me, my Aunt Carolyn was full of warm, tight hugs, ridiculously delicious southern cooking, sweet smiles, kind words, and a humble, serving spirit.  People were lined up out the doors of the funeral home to pay their respects to this quiet, loving lady, daughter, sister, pastor's wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, neighbor, and friend.  Carolyn Highsmith lived a life "clothed with strength and dignity (Proverbs 31:25)" that can only come from a deep faith in Jesus Christ.  Her faith, her life, is an inspiration, a legacy.

I am inspired by my Aunt Carolyn's story.  For all of us that knew her, Carolyn Highsmith will have a lasting impact on us, making us better in just the right ways.  In my case, I am reminded how precious family is.  Life is unpredictable, uncertain, and busy, but that is life.  That should not be the way it is with family.  We need family in our lives to give us unconditional predictability, certainty, and a place to be still.  It seems to me that family is God's way of wrapping us up in His arms when we need it the most on this Earth.  Family, by it's very nature however you define it, is a comfortable and familiar stronghold of roots, despite personal differences and the chaotic world around us.  Family offers us refuge at just the right moments.  Family roots allow us to bloom in our own ways, in our own time.  Thank goodness for family.  Thank goodness I was lucky enough to have Aunt Carolyn in my life.

A side note to my family near and far, blood related and adopted- you are all near and dear to me.  No matter how much I see you, how often we get to talk, how different or alike we are, you are a huge part of the woman I am and the woman I will become.  I pray for you and think of you often.  I love you, and I am thankful for you.  And yes, I know I am terrible at reaching out to everyone.  It's really the balancing act I struggle with, I believe. Nonetheless, I am a work in progress, and I promise to keep working on it.  I hope you can love me anyway!

Turkey Stuffing

It is a full day getting our family of five ready for this Thanksgiving.  Laundry to wash, fold, and sort; food to cook; suitcases to fill, sit on, and zip; toys to select for the ride; oodles of baby paraphernalia to bring; cameras, computers, portable DVD players, phones, power cords, and chargers to remember; plants to water and put inside; coolers to pack; car to gas up; mail arrangements to make; cars to load; doors to lock, and let’s not forget the kids.  Finally, the five of us, one six foot two inches tall man, one lady, two growing boys, one baby, and three carseats are carefully arranged in the Bruorton-mobile.  It’s like being crammed inside an overstuffed turkey ready for roasting.  And of course, we too, will have the necessary interruptions to our roasting process because, inevitably, probably at different times, someone will need to be basted….I mean take a pee break.  Let’s not even mention road blocks, detours, parking lots and other unfortunate highway incidents that are common occurrences during holiday travel.

And this is how our Thanksgiving begins.  My husband and I hit the road hoping and praying for patience and a safe trip.  It’s really a true miracle by the time we get where we are going.  Our arrival makes being thankful easy and immediate.  We are all appreciative when our roasting efforts pay off and we are able to sit at the table with a sweet smelling, juicy, golden brown turkey and not a dried out and burned up, unrecognizable, overcooked bird.

Aaaah…no matter what roof is over our heads, we are welcomed by the familiar smells of Thanksgiving favorites (mine, ours, and theirs), the warmth of family and friends, a table covered with way too much food, kids giggling with hunger, and our hearts are overflowing with our own reflections of gratefulness. 

I am thankful for people, experiences, and things seen and unseen, recent and past, things obvious and not so much.  I am thankful for family, for my family of five, for my family that will forever be my roots, for my extended family and my married-into family, and for loved ones who are so much a part of my Thanksgiving even though they are not here with us in body.  I am thankful for friends near and far, old and new, but especially for friends that see me through my ups and downs and love me all the more for them.  You are my family too.  I am thankful for our health, our home, delicious food, and the hands that prepared it.  I am thankful for all I have been through (good, bad, ugly, and scary) in the past year.  I am thankful that I can be living, breathing proof of the man upstairs, His plan, and His never ending love for each of us.  I am thankful that my journey makes me a stronger, more faithful, faith-filled person, even though there are screw ups and bang ups.  I am thankful for being able to enjoy my Thanksgiving in an upright position this year, and I am even more thankful that we have one more beautiful little person at the table with us.  I am thankful for our hopes of what is to come and for our growing family as my little sister gets married in a few months.  I am thankful for strained relationships that are not perfect but on the mend.  Most of all, I am thankful that “all I have is all I need (Simple Abundance, Sara Ban Breathnach).”  Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Chicken Fried and a Good Cup of Coffee

A good cup of coffee, the big boys are off at school, the baby is asleep, the clothes are washing, the dishwasher is going, some of my favorite music is playing, and I have some quiet time to myself!  It's amazing what a morning carpool can do!  My coffee is just extra yummy today.  I can actually sip and taste it instead inhaling it like an IV drip to wake up my brain before rushing myself out the door.  I am not even sure that thought made sense but it sounded good for dramatic effect!  You get what I am saying.  This is my extraordinary for today.  It's so simple, and I am so thankful.

So I am going to raise my coffee cup to you-  here's to wishing you some pure and simple extraordinariness today!  For Zac Brown, it's chicken fried, for me, a cup of coffee. What is it for you?  Now if you'll excuse me- I am going to go dance like nobody is watching.