Shower The People You Love With Love...

Remember the last time I wrote?  And said ThatManILove was stuck on a well?  He’s still stuck on a well. No sleep.  Hasn’t seen a hotel room in a couple of days.  

So instead of telling you all the cool things we’ve experienced together this week, I’ll tell you what I saw today at the 4H Larry Ratheal Memorial Benefit shoot.

I saw 7 people, me being one of them, shoot together on a squad and have fun.  It was hot.  There was very little breeze.  But people, we had fun.

I saw two dads work with their respective sons while they shot their shotguns. Both dads were overjoyed at their sons’ successes.  This was the first tourney for either boy, and they both rocked the Casbah.  Just saying.

I love seeing young people excel at whatever they pursue.

It’s very encouraging.

More than that, I love seeing fathers....be...fathers.

I Knew You...

In the last week, ThatManILove and I have been not only blessed with a goddaughter, but I also was blessed, and honored, to attend her birth. Mom’s rocking as a new first time mother, and grandmother is right by, fiercely watching over the already strong bond of mother and child. What an absolutely beautiful thing to observe! And yeah, I’d forgotten what joy new babies bring. Just by the very act of holding baby Ada Jael , I am renewed. Refreshed. All is okay in my world, even the funky stuff.

Why is that?

Whenever I see a new baby, I hear the scripture Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose.”

A baby represents many things to me: Promise. Hope, for the times to come, and also, this next generation. A child is open, and full of wonder. Not one bit jaded, and most always delighted. Trusting. Loving. Never judging, just accepting you as you are.

So should we be.

I beg you - the next time you see a little one, take a second to let that baby envelop you. Let yourself be refreshed. Renewed.

You’ll smile, I promise. You’ll feel the love. And you’ll be more able to give out love, yourself.


Meet Baby Ada Jael. Does the word goddaughter translate to spoiled? If it didn’t before, it will now. And you know, I think her mommy’s totally okay with that.

Three Generations of Love (photo by Janie)

A Father and His Daughter

As we walked into a restaurant today at lunch, I noticed a man and his daughter sitting at the bar in a local restaurant.  I was just drawn to them. They were sitting side by side, and as Steve and I sat down waiting on our food, I observed them as they talked.  They were sitting so close, you couldn’t have put a piece of paper between them.

The young lady was probably 13 years old, and she was telling her dad a story, something personal she had experienced.  She was very animated, and you could tell whatever had happened had touched her deeply.

Her dad was very calm, and never took his eyes from her face.  He heard every word daughter said, and daughter knew it, with all her heart.  When he started talking to her (and not in correction), she visibly calmed and listened to him - their conversation never missed a beat.  They were definitely in their zone.

It was a very cool thing to watch.

She got up, and walked past our table to refill her drink.  I said, “She’s beautiful!” Steve commented that the daughter might have some attitude, as she flounced by him.  I had a clearer view of her from where I sat, and I said, “Maybe, but I think it’s more “confidence” than “attitude”. She knows she’s her daddy’s daughter, and she’s cool with that - and in her God-given place.  Watch.”  

So, we did.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, this father with his daughter.

"Daughters" by John Mayer

I know a girl

She puts the color inside of my world

But she's just like a maze

Where all of the walls all continually change

And I've done all I can

To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands

Now I'm starting to see

Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers, be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Oh, you see that skin?

It's the same she's been standing in

Since the day she saw him walking away

Now she's left

Cleaning up the mess he made

So fathers, be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Boys, you can break

You'll find out how much they can take

Boys will be strong

And boys soldier on

But boys would be gone without the warmth from

A womans good, good heart

On behalf of every man

Looking out for every girl

You are the god and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Inspiration...and Reflection

Last night, we attended a Jubilee party for friends of ours who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful celebration. We saw lots of old friends. It's always a blessing to reconnect with people we love.

We visited for a while with one couple, Chris and Terri. Chris asked, “Do you ever write stories about when you were young?” (Chris and I grew up together in the small town of Big Spring, Texas.)

I thought about it for a second, and said, “Wow. I don’t guess I do. I’ll have to think about that!”

He said, “You know, I know you as two different people - now, and then.”

And, in a way, I guess that’s true. I think what he was referring to is the “then” me didn’t have a relationship with the Lord...and the “now” me does. It’s true of a lot of of people I know, but I’ve never thought about it, until now.

So, Chris, thanks for the inspiration. And I’ll start resurrecting some old stories...which is kind of scary! I’m sure brother Scott will be glad to help me out!

PS - Chris is an acccomplished jewelry designer - you can check out some of his designs here.

Now This Is Lake Living, People!!!

Enjoy the pix of sunset at Lake Granbury! Wednesday morning, we found another lakehouse to rent (that's it in the picture), and headed out to Lake Granbury to settle in. The house was beautiful. Light, airy, open architecture. Beautiful yard, beautiful dock, on a pretty part of the lake.

We rented a boat, and went fishing, it was fun. Midnight fishing with ThatManILove, too much fun! I caught 3 fish...just call me Billie Dancette. And yes, for you PETA peepsl, I let those little fishies live - right back into the water they went. (I'm practicing for my own TV Fishing Show.) The night was redemptive after the prior Tuesday night fiasco!

For those who just have to know..yes, we went back to House #1 for my Maui Jim sunglasses. They are now in my possession.

All is well in my world. And consider this post 2 out of 365. I'm challenging myself again, this time I'm going for a year of posting daily. Don't you know that will rock your worlds? Guaranteed to be "content-free" (a term I copped from my friend Eric Siegmund of the Fire Ant Gazette.)

Rain and God

I love the rain. We live in the desert, so rain isn't something I take for granted.

What do I like most about the rain? I see it as a gift from God. Though I know it's not just for me, I consider it a washing, blessing time from Him, and I always feel refreshed. It's a cleansing time, and He knows the timing of that, just when I need it most. One of my favorite songs..."Let it rain, rain, rain, rain." I sing it anytime I see the faintest whisper of what might be a rain cloud.

Thanks, Lord.

Freakily Funny Family

Last weekend found us racing from the DFW area to Austin for my nephew’s graduation from the University Of Texas at Austin. Of course, ThatManILove and I were very, very proud of him, so we did what all aunties and uncles do...we lavished the ultimate present upon him.

En route home, we got a call from his mom, who happens to be married to my brother Scott E. This woman is hilarious, and has the dryest sense of humor.

Me: It was great seeing y’all this weekend!
Sisinlove: We had fun. And by the way, you didn’t have to give No.1 Son that much money. We’re going to make him return some of it.
Me: Yeah?
Sisinlove: Yeah.
Me: Why?
Sisinlove: We just think it’s too much. We’re going to make him return $82.35 of it.
Me: (laughing) Hey, girl – that’s okay. ThatManILove said the only reason we did it was to make y’all look bad.
She cracks me up.

This week, I found an e-mail from brother Scott in my inbox.

Thanks for coming to No. 1 Son’s graduation ceremony. It was a lot more fun with y’all there. And you do not have to make up for Lucy-Gran not being there by giving that much money to my kids. Oh by the way, No. 2 Son is graduating this week, & MyBride and I are now enrolling in College . We should graduate first summer semester-you can go ahead and send money now. Thanks again, Scott

Their No.2 son graduated Friday. I’ll post their comments next week, though I don’t know how they can beat these.

Please Pray for Braja at Lost and Found in India

Friends are friends, no matter the distance, no matter the time. A good friend once told me that true friends are those who chase sleep for you. Quickly, over the waves of the internet, Braja at Lost and Found In India has become a close friend, though we’ve not yet met. I am but one of a few hundred Braja fans, but somehow, amongst the crowd, we connected. Across all sorts of barriers, cultures, and miles, we connected.

I’m not going to go into details – suffice it to say that my friend Braja (from Australia) and her husband Jahnu (from Denmark) and their driver were in a very serious car accident in India and all three desperately need our prayers. Paul V is keeping us updated – thanks, Paul! And LadyFi and Vodka Mom are helping to spread the word. Please pray for these two, Braja and Jahnu, as well as their driver, who was also seriously injured.

And Braja – when you can read this – know that I’m lifting both you and Jahnu, and your driver, up to the Father and crying out for healing, comfort, and peace. I'm chasing sleep for you. I love you, girlfriend.

Lisa suggested we all pray at 12 noon (wherever you are!) tomorrow, 3/14 - high noon for Braja and Jahnu.  What a way for bloggers to come together and honor one they love!

(I'm taking a hint from Lady Fi and posting a picture of a Rangoli design in honor of Braja.)

Thank You - Thank You Very Much (In an Elvis Kind of Voice)

When ThatManILove and I left Pennsylvania to come home, we found some relationships hard to leave.

Over a three month period, the employees at the Holiday Inn Express had become a second family to ThatManILove while he was residing in their hotel. I thank God for them every day. How do you express your gratitude in a situation like that, when you know the people that have served you, but you don’t know them well enough to buy them a personal present? We discussed it, and made our decision. Before we left town, we decided to give them each a card, and inside it, a small monetary blessing.

Today, we got a beautiful thank you card in the mail, which in itself was blessing enough, and one we didn't even expect! In the card, each one of them wrote a message and signed the card. Wow! I teared up a little, and then I laughed until I cried.

Here’s what they said.

Your generosity was beyond belief. We thought you might like to know what some of us did with our gifts.
D wrote: I bought a load of wood, took my husband to dinner, and bought us both a hangover for New Year’s Day! Thanks!
R wrote: Thanks for the gift. I got a new windshield. See you soon! Thank You!
A1 wrote: Thanks so much for the card! It helped my infant daughter and I a lot! (She’s a single mom.)
A2 wrote: First month’s rent! Thanks so much for the gift! It really was such a blessing! Take care. (She’s a sweet young lady, going to college, moving from the country into town.)

And then, one that cracked me up:
L wrote: Thank you so much! I used the money for a muzzle for my husband, a gag for my son, and a love seat for the dog! Thanks for the peace and quiet!

I think it's the best thank you card we've ever received. I bet ThatManILove will agree when he sees it.

Hunting Field Trial and More Hunting Dog Pictures

Okay, I have to show off pictures of Zack the Wonder Dog and Zanna the Wonder Pup from this weekend. They are so awesome. The dogs, I mean. The pictures? Yeaaaaaah, they're okay, too.
My friend Steve put out a live quail for Zanna to chase, and chase, she did! She caught it, and is bringing it back to me. With zero training. She is so funny!
And here are a couple of Zack the Wonder Dog on point. I never get to take these pictures, but this time, Kellygirl was with me, so she held my gun while I took pictures. And then, yes, I shot my quail. But that's another story unto itself, right, Kelly?
This is Steve's dog, Abby the English Pointer, on point. She's a beautiful gal.And this is Steve, walking up to flush the bird. Notice Abby never breaks her point? She's stout, stout, stout. I think she's beautiful.
And of course, LB1, who spent the weekend with me. The little guy woke himself up at 4 a.m. and stayed awake so I wouldn’t be late for the field trial. At 5:30 a.m., he knocked on my door.

LB1: Miss Janie?

Janie: Hey, little dude.

LB1: Time to get up! We don’t want to be late. Can we go get a burrito on the way out?

The kid is a bottomless pit, I swear. I can’t keep him filled up. God bless his Mom. I don’t know how she does it! We ordered a large pizza for supper, and he ate everything but the two pieces I had. He does love him some pizza! (Notice, Kellygirl, he has on your snake gaters!)
LB1 was so great at the field trials. He loved driving the golf cart, and timing the events. I think his second best thing to do was to blow the horn at the end of the timed sessions. He is such a funny, bright young man. I love hanging around him!

Here are Zack and Zanna, tied to the tail end of my new ride while awaiting their turn. Well, Zack's turn, really, since Zanna's too young to "hunt" yet.

Zanna asked to be put in her crate after Zack kept running over her while tied out. He just will not settle while hunting's going on. He thinks he has to be in on every run.

I’ve had a rough weekend, missing That Man I Love. It's been six weeks today since he's been home, and I’m more than ready for him to come back to Texas. Zanna has already doubled in size, and you just wait until Zack sees MLH. He will flat go crazy. He loves that man so much!

Janie: Hey. Can you hear Zanna snoring on the bed, through the cellphone? She is flat rocking out some ZZZZZ's!

MLH: No, I can’t hear her. Is she as big as Zack yet?

Janie: She’s about half his size. She’s grown so much. You know those moms that start talking baby talk when they’ve been around their munchkins nonstop24/7?

MLH: Yes?

Janie: Well, I feel like I’m talking to Zack and Zanna every minute of every day and night allthetimenonstopdoyouknowwhatImean? I’m probably going to start incorporating my doggyspeak into my normal workday. You know, "Down, boy! " " Heel." "Hunt 'em up!" "Come arouuuuund!" "Fetch dead!" Oh, that won’t work at all. (MLH is laughing.) Oh, hang on, Zack has to go outside.

MLH: He’s probably just trying to fake it so he can grab Zanna’s rawhide.

At this point, Zanna wakes up, and runs to the door to be the first outside. She may be small, but she’s totally dominating Zack. And Zack? Doubles back, hops on the bed, lays down…and grabs Zanna’s rawhide. I am not even kidding you.

MLH is just heehawing on the cellphone – I guess I’ve given a narrative while I laid down the phone, or he figured it out by what I said to Zack. Which I’m not even going to repeat, so don’t go there.

Okay, enough whining already. Have a great week!!

Drive With Me!

I’m home from Santa Fe. It’s 11:51 p.m. And I'm exhausted. I went from breakfast to midnight almost every day, made lots of contacts, and had lots of fun. Energizer Bunny, that's me. But dang, I need some Geritol.

One good thing - I am unpacked.

Ready to hit the hay, then hit the streets running tomorrow.

Thought I’d take a second and share some of the pics of the drive home. (Gretchen asked!) Santa Fe is beautiful in it’s own right. Here’s pix of the snowy mountains. Eight inches while we were there on the mountaintops – but the closest snow that hit the town of Santa Fe was about 2 minutes of sleet, while I was driving back downtown from the outlet mall. Otherwise, the weather was beautiful and cool, with nighttime rains. Awesome.

En route from Santa Fe to Midland, you hit the plains and pastures, with the mountains as backdrop. I know lots of y’all think desert and flatlands is ugly, but tell me this isn’t beautiful? I love it. Anytime I make this drive, I’m reminded that there is a God, and all the hills, valleys, and land belong to Him. What a diverse landscape we share!

An antelope buck and his babes. I couldn’t get him to pay attention to me. I wonder why? I think it's the season of the pleasing!

And I would have made it home more quickly, had I not had to stop outside of Roswell and take these shots of the beautiful sunset . Hope you can see them.

And at Tatum, N.M., just after sunset?

You know, people tease us because we don't have any trees out here. But I think God made West Texas and Eastern New Mexico that way so we would appreciate his art work. Absolutely beautiful.

All you bloggers who kept me awake on this drive by listening to my drivel and catching me up on all I missed a la handsfree cellphone (Bluetooth, I promise!), I thank you. MLH thanks you.

Good night!

Eyes To See

The other day, I found myself in a rather uncomfortable situation. MLH and I were in a meeting with some believers who have started a service organization. Some months ago, I had been invited to “help” with this group. I went, albeit tentatively. You see, when I show up, people think two things:

(1) Oh, yeah! Janie’s here! She can help us raise money! And…
(2) Oh, yeah! Janie’s here! She’s a great organizer and promoter, she’s got a great reputation! She can help us bring people into our organization (which often translates to money.)

This meeting was no different than others in that respect. Matter of fact, they even spoke aloud, in almost the same words, the (2) sentence above.

The gifts of God are without repentance, and I know that. I know that the Lord has blessed me greatly. And I’m learning that to make my yes, a yes. I’m also focusing on the more difficult thing, to know when to say no, and when to say yes. It’s been a hard lesson for me, but that’s how it is. Just because I choose to take on a certain cause, whatever “it” is, doesn’t necessarily mean that God will bless my work in that cause, or that the cause will thrive. And I confess I’ve gone before the Lord many times, and taken something on that the timing wasn’t right, or something else was wrong. Instead, I should have waited on Him. So, I’ve learned a lot. And, I’m still learning.

Anyway, back to the meeting. The leadership of the group was talking about how to reach others for Christ, grow the chapter, and raise money, in order to further reach people. And almost as one, they looked at me, and one guy reaffirmed my gifting detailed above. Talk about pressure.

I took a breath, and asked for permission to speak, and was granted such.

To begin, I reiterated their recent words, illustrating, in my perception, how they saw me. I then encouraged them to open their spiritual eyes – and endeavor to see people after the Spirit, and not by the flesh. In seeing after the Spirit, I believe we will all be more open to the opportunities to love on people. I share my belief with this group – that this meeting, the very idea of it, is a great thing. I believe a meeting of believers should be a place of refreshing, and encouragement – a place of respite, as it were, especially in this specific organization. And that if we love on people, they will come. They will want to be a part of this organization.

In ending my turn to talk, I spoke of that one thing – loving people. If I were going to categorize the way that MLH and I walk, I would probably say that we do it rather organically. We don’t follow a prescribed method, pass out tracts, etc. Actually, it’s probably rare, though not by design, that we speak the name of the Lord before others, yet we believe. It's our desire His will become manifest in our lives. We hang out at shoots, events, industry happenings, conferences, hunts and work. We meet people where they are. We strive to see and sense the Lord’s will in any situation that might present itself, seen or unseen. Mostly, we just love on people, wherever we are. That’s who we are, and what we do. And it’s our hope that those people smell the very fragrance of Christ and are drawn unto Him. That’s our hope.

Okay, rant over, and I think (heh) I just preached to myself. Maybe I needed a reminder.

Thanks for letting me breathe.

Fun in the Metroplex

Thursday evening, MLH and I decided to make a short business trip to Fort Worth. ( MLH’s most said phrase during the weekend was “we drove 5 hours up and back to conduct 20 minutes worth of business.”) Well, we did drive, and conduct, we did! And in the process of doing so, we were able to connect with four different sets of friends that the Lord's placed as living stones in our lives.

Our first meeting was Thursday night, after which we bunked out at Mike and Pam's. We arrived just in time for them to figure out one of their hot water heaters had bit the dust, so MLH and Mike went to work at 10pm. Fun! Of course, Pam and I gave great support…we sat in the recliners and visited amongst ourselves. Pamo and I absolutely ROCK as cheerleaders. Better yet, we know when to be quiet, even when the guys track that black crud that builds up in a hot water heater onto Pam’s white carpet!

All the rest of our meetings were on Friday, so after a fun breakfast, we carried on about our business, then checked into our home away from home, the Renaissance Worthington in downtown Fort Worth, at which time the “rest” phase of our trip commenced.

MLH and I enjoyed some much needed time together, and vegged out all day, reading and doing room service. It was fun, and rejuvenating. We have been way too busy lately! Saturday night, we went to supper with Mike and Pam at Tejas de Brazil, then caught the one-man play “Chesapeake” at the Circle Theatre.

I knocked out two books, they were great, I’ll review them soon for you. We had a leisurely drive back home, stopping in area towns inbetween Fort Worth and Weatherford and viewing real estate. There's a lot of building going on in the country!

As soon as we arrived at the house, we unloaded the truck and picked up Zack and Zoie, and took them to the field for a much needed run. They had a blast, and we loved watching them. There’s nothing more beautiful than watching bird dogs running full blast, noses into the wind, scenting for birds.

Prayers Needed, Please

When the Lord apprehended me thirteen years ago, I came in contact with Larry and Cindy Thompson, of Munday, Texas. From the first, I knew they had a deep relationship with the Lord - they really didn't talk about it, but I could see it. Needless to say, I fell in love with this beautiful couple. Since I’ve entered the blogosphere, I find we have a mutual friend in In_spired. Though we’ve not yet met, I sincerely appreciate In_Spired's relationship with the Father, and also, her love for everyone.

A couple of weeks ago, she alerted me that two of the Thompsons’ sons, Trey and Tyler, as well as one of their young high school age protégés and friends, Keith Cypert , had suffered in a horrible vehicular accident. They were rushing to a grass fire on one of their ranches, and were hit by an 18-wheeler. The young Thompson men are married with 6 children between them, and are renown as good stewards in their small farming and ranching community. And young Keith, though wounded himself, actually pulled both Trey and Tyler from a burning vehicle, saving both their lives, as both vehicles exploded in fire.

If you’ve the time, please go to the blog, and read from the bottom up. It won’t take you long, and it’s a stout story of the power of prayer. But more than anything, I’m writing to ask you to pray for them all.

Catching Up a Bit...

Little Brother called, just to check on me, since I’d not posted in a while. So, I thought I’d better catch up! By the way, follow the link, and read up on his exciting happening this week when a drunk hit his son’s parked car – in his driveway!

Here’s what’s been happening in the Sounding Forth house.

MLH is getting better – he finally went to work, but he’s trying to take it easy out there. He has a gastroenterologist appointment next Tuesday. Thanks for all your prayers – please don’t stop!

I’ve been extremely busy at work, but it’s all good. I’m still loving it!

Elder Son came in for the night, and it was good to see him. He played with Doug Moreland and Matt Skinner at the Hog Pit, then went to Alpine and on to Austin with them. His truck is still here, so that means we’ll see him again soon…and we’re looking forward to that!

Younger Son moved out into an apartment, and his room was immediately filled by our little friend Sarah, who moved in from the Midland College dorm for the summer. She’s been a joy thus far – we’ve never had a munchkin of the female persuasion hang out at our house and we’re enjoying it. Sarah starts her first job ever at Best Buy this weekend, so that will mark a milestone for her. Sarah is the daughter of one of my childhood friends, and was raised wayyyy out in the country, so working a summer job wasn’t feasible. She’s agreed to dogsit for us, when we’re traveling, so that’s a plus. And, speaking of kids of the doggie kind…

Zack the Wonder Dog is about to have his world rocked once again, as Zoie the Wonder Pup has graduated from her puppy hunting training. Though Zack grieved for about a week when Zoie left, it will be interesting to see how they reacquaint themselves. All reports from Zoie’s trainers are excellent, so that long trip to Kansas just may have been worth it! We’re to pick her up on Monday on our way back from somewhere.

Somewhere, you say? Yup. MLH and I are going somewhere, we don’t really have a plan. We’re just going to get in the truck and go – get out of here for the weekend. Alone. Woohoo!! Well, at least until we go pick up the Zoie-monga.

So, it will be a bit before I post again. Meanwhile, blog amongst yourselves and have a blessed Memorial Day weekend!

Warning: Man Looking Good In Hospital Gown!

9:45 p.m. update

We are home. MLH has been preliminarily diagnosed with diverticulitis, and an appointment with a gastroenterologist has been scheduled. The E.R. doctor wanted to hospitalize him, since he was still in pain, but MLH talked them out of it. Thanks so much for your prayers, please continue.

Though we are tired, and MLH is still in considerable pain, we are thankful. The first radiology report, where they were supposed to be checking his appendix, etc., came back showing a mass on the kidney! The doctor talked to us about treatment options, percentages of complete removal, etc. , then left the room. He was great, the way he told us, really. And as soon as he left the room, yeah – I cratered – I had a hard time breathing, tears rolling down my face. I’ve been here before, with our big brother, Tony, whom we lost to cancer at age 39. MLH had to remind me of some things… things the Lord’s promised us…and I started to breathe again. And he said, “Whose report are we going to believe?”

Oh, yeah. I forgot for a second. We’re going to believe the report of the Lord!!

The tests then began in earnest : contrast CAT scans, with die via IV, oral, and otherwise – and thankfully, the reports revealed that the “mass” was nothing more than a cyst on MLH’s kidney. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about – no cancer after all. And that is the report of the Lord, people.

Sweet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I need to quit saying “It’s never boring around here.” Last night, MLH got home from the well he’s working on, and we met for supper.

This morning around 6:45 a.m., he was on the phone taking reports from the wellsite, and started experiencing intense abdominal pain. It worsens, so he suffers a quick shower (you know, because Momma always wants you to have clean underwear in case you have to go to the hospital), and we head to the emergency room. Thankfully, they put him in a room right away. It’s almost noon now. They’ve drawn blood, taken vitals, and taken x-rays. Now they’re doing some type of contrast cat scan. They did give him a pain pill, so everything’s rosy now on the pain scale.

Snooty, MLH and I have had so much fun with the Man Cold youtube video—thanks so much for sharing! This morning, during all the tests, i.v.’s, needle sticks, MLH said, “I just want to tell you – this is Man Pain.” And we cracked up.

Here he comes back from Radiology – more later!

Flying

The morning came around and I realized…IT’S CLEANING DAY!!! Gotta make sure Younger Son has picked up his room. (Our house wasn’t too bad, heck, nobody’s ever home!)

I go into wake him up (the little sweetie had remembered what day it was, and left me a note asking me to wake him.) and he hopped out of bed and finished his room. Then, we decided to do breakfast, together, alone. (Between our schedules, unfortunately, Younger Son and I don’t get to spend a lot of time alone together.)

It was fun. Refreshing. (Even though he was having trouble keeping his eyes open – I’m such an entertaining person!) I found out he has plans to move into an apartment with one of his friends, and yes, his dad already knows, he assures me.

Of course, that starts a barrage of questions. How much is your rent? How much was your deposit? Can you handle the electricity? What are you planning do to about furniture? Does it have washer and dryer hookups? No? Hmmmm. How long is your lease? Is Jack leaving Taylor in a bind, moving out with him and moving in with you? Oh…Taylor’s engaged? WHAT? You guys are too young for that! Oh, well. And we go on to other things, like school, flying, grades, other friends. And as usual, we have a good time.

Sounds like he’s done his homework concerning this upcoming move, and he’s even arranging for more hours at work. He's going to continue and finish his his college. Of course, his truck is paid for, and we only give him a nominal amount every month – he’s not a big spender.

I guess it’s time to let him fly. Which kind of sucks, seeing how he just moved in – I’ve really liked having him at our house. But he’s been craving this for a while, he’s 19 years old, almost twenty…and we can’t hold him back.

Fly free, Younger Son. Explore the world. Conquer. Do great things. Above all, keep your sense of self - and stay true to the One who has called you.

**sniff**

Ed Gemmill

Saturday, I attended a funeral of an awesome man, Ed Gemmill. He was many things to many people, but to me, he was one of the fathers that the Lord has provided me. He was 94 years old.

I entered into the Kingdom of God in 1996. I was a mature woman, but I was yet a babe in the Lord. I had gone through a recent divorce, and was going through a time of intense healing by the Lord. Less than a year after my divorce, my friend Debbie and I started a home group, and Sam Soleyn and Leo Free provided oversight. Since neither of them lived in Midland, Sam suggested that one of the elders in the city step in and attend. That elder was Ed Gemmill.

God had a plan for me – and that plan so included Ed. Ed brought such a peace with him, wherever he went. Sometimes, his lovely wife Mrs. Bettye would come to home group, and that was always a joyful time, as well. Those two loved on all of each and every one of us at that home group. As far back as I can remember, Ed never missed one night. And Lord knows we needed Ed. The group started with a small cache of people gleaned from a divorce recovery session – so you can only imagine how twisted we all were! We were from all walks of life, all different churches, and I was the only “unchurched” one of the group. Sometimes, there would be 50-60 people there – and it was a varied, diverse group. I had not grown up in church, so I was particularly and perpetually “the wild child” of the group. I routinely questioned most everything, every authority. I can remember meeting Ed set up a meeting with some elders at Carrow’s one day just to let me talk out something I didn’t understand and certainly didn’t agree with – and Ed so totally got what I was saying. In retrospect, I think Ed recognized the leadership gift in me, and encouraged it, and loved me through all my wildness. He knew the Lord would be faithful to gentle me. As I later heard stories about how Ed himself came to the Lord later in his life, I wondered if our respective relationships with the Lord weren’t somewhat similar at their beginning.

One of the most important things Ed taught me was “touch not my anointed.” Probably the second home group meeting that Ed attended, two or three of us had been doing worship for another service, and Ed was with us, wherever we went. At some point, I said something about one of those services, and laughed. I can’t even remember what it was, at this point, but you can bet I made some smart aleck joke about something. In a heartbeat, Ed was by my side, and quietly asked me to go outside to my atrium to visit. He gently talked to me about how, even in jest, that there is life and death in the tongue. I immediately repented, and it’s a lesson I took to heart. So much so, that someone is talking about or mentioning a fellow believer, I kind of cringe inside. I’m prone to say “Watch out, cowboy!” when someone goes there. And that gut check in me is all about Ed, and the lesson he and the Lord taught me that day. And to this day, though we long ago moved out of that townhouse, all of us from that time lovingly call that atrium the “Come to Jesus Room”, because of that day I was corrected by Ed.

When MLH and I met, Ed was always there to watch over us. He loved it when we played and sang. That man so loved to worship his Lord and Savior. As our relationship progressed from friends to dating, different speakers would come through our group to teach, and many of them tried to prophesy Steve and I into marriage. I was like an unbroken filly – nobody was going to throw a rope around my neck and tell me what was going to happen! No way was I going there! And Ed would always smooth everything over. I think he, like many, knew eventually Steve and I would be together. Though Ed remained quiet, in my spirit, I always felt like he was always our champion. He loved both of us, individually, and loved us together, as well.

When we heard Ed passed, MLH told me, “Ed’s passing will leave a huge vacuum in the Kingdom.” MLH says that Ed was intercession – not some form of it, but the very breath of it. Not by any act, or planned thing - but by his very existence, Ed was intercession.

One of my friends was at a meeting with us, and came into a deeper relationship with the Lord because of an interaction with Ed. I think that was what drew my friend to the Lord – he truly saw the Lord Jesus Christ in Ed Gemmill. We all want that – it’s what we all strive for – but Ed –well, he just simply...was.

I know one thing - my early walk in the Lord was lavished with richness…and Ed Gemmill is a huge part of the extravagant love the Lord has showered down upon me.

It was always all about Jesus for Ed. And now, he’s with Jesus – where he always wanted to be. Ed Gemmill is, and will always be, a beautiful man. MLH and I are blessed to have known him.

Through Another's Eyes - Chapter 2

We loaded up the Zoie-monga this morning, along with Little Brother 1, and headed down to Christoval. We arrived at the trainer’s mid-morning. Tina, our trainer, was running around on a four-wheeler. LB1 liked the look of that…while she was working, MLH and LB1 looked for arrowheads, and found some fossils. When Tina finished her errands, LB1 engaged his best plan... "Ask, and ye shall receive!"

LB1: Miss Janie, can I ride on that?

Me: Don’t know…why don’t you ask Miss Tina if she’ll give you a ride? Have you ever been on a four-wheeler?

LB1: No, ma’am. Miss Tina, may I have a ride, please?

Tina: Sure, hop on back here, and I’ll take you to the barn.

LB1 comes back from that ride grinnin’ like a possum. Then, Tina’s daughter shows up, and takes LB1 on another ride. Next thing I know, they’ve progressed to LB1 riding in the front, with Tina’s daughter behind him. And then…he’s driving it by himself (albeit in second gear only)! The child went from never having ridden a four-wheeler to piloting one solo. He was absolutely beside himself.

Leaving Zoie at the trainer’s (very difficult to do!), we go back towards Lake Nasworthy, where we’re meeting friends and their sons for late lunch, after first stopping by their new lakehouse. We find out LB1 has never been to a lake. He plays on the dock and throws rocks into the lake…he’s having too much fun. After touring the house, which is under heavy remodel, we head to the restaurant. The party has now grown to 10 people. While we’re all visiting, I hear that we’re all going on a boat ride. After inquiry, I find our friends have invited us to yet another treat: riding in their wakeboarding boat, watching Blake, the youngest son, wakeboard and ski! LB1 is ecstatic.

We secure LB1 in a lifejacket, and he immediately tries to get his hair wet, his feet wet; finally, we strip him down to his boxers (the water is a cool 65 degrees!), put his lifejacket back on, and let him make the decision to go in, or not. It took a while, but finally, with Blake holding his hand, and on the count of three, LB1 went right in…and came up screaming, sincerely, “Save me! Save me!” (Turns out this is also his first lifejacket - and he didn't know to trust it.) Check out his face in the second picture.

It took a second for him to realize he was alive and okay, and with a little encouragement, soon we were unable to keep him out of the water. When he finally got out for the last time, he told me, “Miss Janie, thanks so much for helping me get my confidence!” He was so cute – and so cold!

He was amazed by Blake's skiing and wakeboarding ability, as were we. (I love my camera, can you tell? I took over 500 shots today, lots of them sequential shots of Blake showing off his skills in the water!) Blake and his dad promised LB1 that if he came back, they'd teach him how to ski and wakeboard - and of course, LB1 is ALL over that!

On the way back, LB1 was treated once more – he got to sit with Blake and drive the boat.
I called his mom and confessed all his firsts (and of course, that he was safe at all times) and she started laughing – she thought it was awesome that her son had been able to experience all he had. I’m glad she trusts us with her boy! He was a blessing to every one who found themselves caught up in this day – and once again, it was great to see everything through his eyes. LB1 made it brand new, for all of us today…

Sometimes totally unplanned days are the best…I know today was great in one little man’s eyes.

A Very Good Friday

This morning, I went shooting with Scott and some customers around 11; we had a great time. I think Scott was right behind me in scoring by 3 targets. He’s really shooting well, and I’m excited we’ve found something we can enjoy together!



He came to town with me afterwards, and went with me to the field to exercise Zack and Zoie. MLH supported me in my decision to upgrade my digital camera to a Canon EOS 40D. Scott and I took it to the field to give it a test run, and oh, man, that baby will take 3 ACTION pictures per second. And it was fun playing with it while the dogs ran – we took sequential shots. Too much fun!


Here’s a picture of my brother, Scott, with Zoie.

And here’s some pictures of Zack and Zoie running. If I play through the pictures really fast, it looks like a quick movie. That’s one fast camera! I’m going to have fun in the hunting field with it, I know!







When we got home, Cherie, my angel helper, was here, so she got to finally meet my brother! (Bloggers always enjoy meeting each other.) After she left, my phone rang, and it was Little Brother 1, wanting to come hang out. Well, that worked out well – I had already thought about calling him and seeing if he wanted to come stay with us for the weekend. His whole family came over, and we ordered pizza and the kids played Wii with Younger Son. MLH was still out in the field, but came home about 11pm tonight. Now, Big Brother and Little Brother are playing Wii.

This is a picture of LB1. He's the most awesome kid, and an absolute joy to be around.

Zoie’s going to the T&T Kennels in Christoval tomorrow for her puppy hunter school. She’ll be gone for a while. We’ll miss the little huggy bear. See how red her eyes get when she’s exhausted?
Here, she’s telling LB1’s real little brother what she thinks about Wii. (Zoie thinks they all should be playing with her, instead.)
It’s been an awesomely beautiful day. Lots of fun, laughter, sunshine, and fellowship – how can you go wrong?

Have a blessed, happy Easter - and remember, He's the reason for this season!