I Dare You...

The boys LOVE basketball.  They especially love to play at their Grandma and Papa's house because when the net is lowered they are able to dunk on it.

This was on Easter Sunday.

So on Monday, yesterday, I decided to show the boys how I could dunk on our lowered net...

The lowered net that they aren't able to reach, THANK GOD!!

Because I ran up and dunked, with two hands and closed my eyes because I was afraid the ball would hit me in the head.  

Well the ball didn't hit me in the head.  No it didn't.

What did hit me in the head was the backboard. 

I was lying on the ground unable to move and yelled to Jonah to get the next door neighbors and call Grandma.

I am so proud of my boy, he was amazing.

Within moments my neighbor was there along with my mom and sweet sister.

I took my very first ride in an ambulance.  It was all very dramatic with the orange board and safety straps and gurney.

Today I am thanking God that I am just badly bruised and scraped.  Nothing is broken, just sporting a sweet  noggin on my forehead, along with a mild concussion.  Who needs botox when a backboard can do the trick?? 

Joe was feeling guilty because the basketball net had blown over a couple of weeks ago and he had been meaning to take it down.

We are all so grateful that it was me and not one of the kids. 

My precious babies were so worried...I was a mess thinking about how traumatic the whole thing must have been for them.  

Micah was so concerned.  He is the one who dared me to dunk...

He made me a card and told me that he was going to sleep in daddy's spot so he could check on me all night.  My precious boy.

I feel the love!!

So I'm not going to dare any of you to dunk...

But I am going to dare you (and me) to something else...because life can change in the blink of an eye...

I dare you to take every moment you have with your loved ones and gratefully cherish them!!    

Give thanks to the LORD,  for he is good.  His love endures forever.  Psalm 136:1

You Have My Heart

Just yesterday he was bundled in my arms as I rocked and rocked him to fall asleep for that cherished two hour nap he took...

Just yesterday he was waving around light-sabers and saving the galaxy from evil emperors....

Just yesterday he was wobbling and falling and grabbing on the boards as he learned how to skate...

And now he reads himself to sleep with stories about Poseidon's son saving the planet....

And now he plays competitve hockey and only uses the boards to sneak in a hard check...

And today he left for 5th grade science camp away from this crazy stalker mom and all of her control for four days...

And this mama bear bit back the hot tears in the gym this morning...

As I handed over the health form and my precious firstborn into the care of mere aquaintances I  could have sworn my heart fell out and hit the hardwood floor...

And as he gave me a quick hug and pat on the back when no one was looking I saw a sparkle in those adorable blues that reassured me he was extremely eager and excited to experience this adventure.

I could also see that he was more worried about me missing him than him missing me.  My sweet boy...  

And as he stepped up onto the big yellow bus and turned around and waved at me I was almost sure that I would explode into a million pieces because of the love overwhelming up inside of me...

Sometimes it takes the worried what-ifs to bring us back to the reality of the goodness of the here and now...

How much I take it for granted when growing pains are shooting through and two heads are butting up against one another because they are so much alike...

As I watched him board I realized that my heart didn't fall out on the floor back in the school...it didn't burst into an explosion either...nor did it fall out into those tears that I swallowed...

Instead, my heart drove off on that school bus to Camp Michindoh early this morning with that beloved son of mine...

And I know he will hold on tight to it for me until he returns on Thursday....

Until then I will be praying hard and waiting desperately for his homecoming. 

I will be singing this song all week...check it out!!  (and the tears will be flowing hot and fast)

Five Minute Friday: Gift

This life is a gift that so often I toss to the curb.  All too often I spend my time, waste my time hoarding up trash that only needs to be dragged out on Monday morning with the rest of the trash piled up high in the city appointed brown bins bursting full from a growing family. 

Instead of holding onto moments, I hurriedly rush by and move onto the next...

How I long to cherish these sacred times, instead of whizzing by in a hurried and frantic frenzy rushing to pick up and drop off...

Pushing the pedal to arrive promptly to the next sporting event or piano practice.

Oh but what a cherished treasure....

A gift that has been granted to me from up above, in the form of these three beings who look up to me and yearn for my approval...for my acceptance...for my love.

And in return as hard and grueling as it may sometimes be, I am grateful from a place down deep for these three sacred beings who are the best gift any mama could ever ask for...

Stalker Mom

They run out to the van after the bell rings and ask.  Eyes twinkling bright at me reflecting rays of sunshine on an  unusually warm Michigan March afternoon.  Backpacks are tossed through the sliding doors and I nod nervously to go ahead.  I wait as they make their way down the sidewalk toward the elderly crossing guard.  They shrink down and far out of my sight and knots twist in my gut.  Throwing the van in drive I roll down the pavement and catch up.  Spotting them ahead I breathe in and the tension fades.  As I pass them I watch in the rear view mirror and can see the springs in their steps.  They are practically skipping home.  I know that they are pleased with this new found bit of freedom.  I know that they wanted to walk home all by themselves without a stalker mom rolling by and checking up on them.  I think about this as I put it in park at the busy intersection and wait for them to cross.  I have to make sure no one runs them over. Ayla asks what we are doing from her booster chair in the back.  I mumble some reply as the minutes pass and they make their way down the long street to the corner.  Micah sees me and turns around and smiles, he waves.  Jonah just keeps on a trekking not daring to glance my way.  I tell myself he is growing up, coming into his own.  He's a tween after all.   He just watched the puberty video at school.  My stomach churns when I think about it.  I don't want to let them go.  I want to hold on tight and keep them in my little bubble so badly, but I know that I can't.  After I make sure nobody has ran a stop sign and splattered either one of them all over the road I drive down to my house and up the driveway.  They aren't far behind but I glance down the sidewalk to make sure they weren't abducted by the park entrance.  Wasn't I just pushing them in the double stroller down that same sidewalk?   The sun shines hard and my heart shines big for these two boys who come bouncing safe and sound up the drive.  Home at last.

Beautiful Noise

The full and florescent white moon ball beams in the front window and the house is finally quiet.

Just a little while ago these wooden floors were echoing loud with activity.  He tells me that we surely must have the loudest house in the city and we both crack up because we know it's probably true.  Jonah blows out his notes into his trumpet and I pluck on the piano.  Micah and Ayla argue over what channel to watch as the television blares in the background.  His speaker phone is playing elevator music as he waits for his work's help desk to iron out computer problems.

My day was filled with busy noise.  The boys had a half day of school for parent teacher conferences.  Ayla and I had piano.  The boys had dentist appointments.  It was quite the juggling act, I may be recruited for the circus if  I don't watch out!

And now their little heads are cushioned with soft pillows and their eyes are fluttering as they enter into dreamworld.  The noise is muted for a few cherished hours. I smile to myself as I breathe in the silence.  A low hum of the gas fireplace and the tapping of the keys is all I can hear.   I relish in the solitude and contentment of this very monment and refuse to allow the regrets of the day to creep in.  I inhale the air full into my lungs and instead allow my savior to push out any guilt lurking in the dark corners of my soul.  The day is done and tomorrow the sun will radiate it's light upon a brand new canvas waiting to be filled with all kinds of beautiful noise.

Explanations for the Unexplainable

Last night after a quick trip (ahem) to Saginaw for a league play off game (for Jonah's hockey team...GO THRASHERS!!)  We had pizza with some friends.  And VERY good pizza it was.  We got carry out from Frank's in Wyandotte.  They are legend around these parts of the mitten for making some of the very best home made Italian food and boy did it hit the spot after a long day in the mini-van.

But that is not what I am blogging about tonight.

Because last night could have been like any other typical hockey game night.  We could have ordered pizza, let the kids go crazy, visited and called it a night...

But on this particular night as we were just about out the door, well Joe was...

He had warmed up the van and bundled up the kids.  He grabbed two of the three and headed out the door.  

And as I made my way to the storm door, that was frosting and fogging up from the Michigan cold, my eyes were drawn upward to the top of the glass...

Shadows and light revealed the trees dancing on the hard surface in front of me but my eyes didn't see the winter barren branches...

Instead all I could see were thorns.  

Thorns blazing and poking and twisting into a crown.

I mentioned this to my friends, the owners of the house and as soon as the words left my lips, knowing eyes and nodding heads explained how they were thinking the exact same thing.  

His crown, we were all reminded of...

Our Savior...

And as we all looked back at the door, that storm door that had been wiped off just an hour earlier when the other guests had left.  

We gazed into the glass that was beginning to create an image that would remind us all of a king who was pierced for our transgressions...

And we all see it, at the same time...

We see His hair and His beard...

Our earthly eyes take in His face, turned down with eyes closed and lips curled straight...

We see the image of Jesus melted into the frosted glass with shifting shadows.  Crown of thorns large on his head...

My friend, she takes a picture trying to capture this miraculous manifestation on film.

We are all filled with peace and encouraged, our faith is deepened by this peculiar mystery.

I was amazed, aghast if you will...

But my eldest son Jonah, who was with me...

He didn't see the image.  He was concerned and a bit nervous about the whole episode.

We say good night and make our way through the dark cold night back home.

And all the while I reassured him, spoke the words of truth in those little ears, eager to listen.

I tucked him in tight and whispered prayers and scratched his back.  

And as I settled into bed I wondered if maybe he is a bit like I am most of the time when God shows up big?

Worried and concerned when the hand of God breaks through and reveals himself in a divine way.  

Do I fret and question, second guess?

Do I search for logic and reason among the illogical, the unreasonable?  ...instead of standing in awe at the mystery and marvelousness of a living, breathing, all-knowing God?

What a lesson I have learned to just "take it in" and stand amazed....

Sometimes there isn't an explanation for the unexplainable....

Five Minute Friday: Real

Unmasked Uninhibited Unveiled friendship is always the best kind.  Sharing the company of those beautiful souls who love you unconditionally and without fail  can be REAL humbling.  REAL, true friends are never a dime a dozen.  They are always a sacred treasure.  How thankful I am for these stripped down to the bone REAL friendships that have been gifted to me from a REAL God who understands every square inch of this REAL life of mine.  And for that I am REALLY grateful!!