Ode to a Sister-in-Law

Ode to a Sister-in-Law

Oh, masterful sister-in-law!

Gracious hostess, provider of playing cards

And massive slabs of barbecued meat.

How can I describe your many talents oh

Thou rememberer of all things directional?

Thou fair includer of friends olde and newe

For playing games and telling stories, embarrassing

And non.

Sharer of refrigerator, camper, and picnic table.

How does one describe thy virtues, thou

Leader of overboard outhousing?

Thou guider of husband, however futile.

Thou listener of father-in-law, however eternal.

Thou director of sisters-in-law whose only desire is

To lighten your load and receive your praise?

We bless you and praise your name to the heights

As an anchor in the householde of Sir Ronald.

Let me ring out the words of our hearts.

You done good.

Vacation Excitement

Nothing is more eagerly anticipated than a vacation.

It stirs up thoughts of freedom and rest.  Or of  fun and excitement.

Some folks I know think waay ahead and shop for a new wardrobe.  They begin packing early.

Then there's me.

I kinda sorta know what I think I maybe will need.  Then I make lists that I promptly lose.

I know where I'm going most of the time but the other details remain fuzzy.

To me, if too much is planned it can't be much of a vacation.

Which always leads me to the mecca of all vacation spots:

Wal-Mart.

For some reason, Wal-Mart looms large in terms of vacation planning.  Although I can go to my local store 24/7 any day any time of the year it seems to hold more promise when vacation comes around.

I look around with the expectation that whatever is around the next aisle is the ONE THING I need to make this trip perfect.  New flerp flerps?  Of course! Little canvas bags and sun umbrellas and weird plastic plates and cups?  How could I have ever lived without them before this?

The place even smells exciting.  Now that one I can't explain.

Buying the disposable paper plates and wet wipes, the sunblock, floppy hat and magazine (that I'll save for the trip, of course) makes me unreasonably happy.

Perhaps it's simply the idea of fun and relaxation on a long awaited journey that makes Wal-Mart such an oasis. Even stepping into an out-of-town Wal-Mart implies that something cool is just around the corner.

Of course, when vacation is over for another year, Wal-Mart turns back into a pumpkin.  The lipgloss is just gooey stuff and beach towels are just towels.

But for that brief moment in time it signifies escape and freedom and fun.

And they even greet you at the door.

Rest and Renewal

Hi Gang!

Hubby and I are back home from our first vacation in 3 years. We went to Colorado where we enjoyed 85 degree temperatures while poor old St. Louis had heat warnings.

I'd like to feel sympathy for my friends back home but I was having too much fun.

Being 'in the moment' was a real challenge for me; I had gotten in the habit of reviewing the past and worrying about the future.

I believe God deliberately gives us each moment of our lives a moment at a time for a reason.

That reason being we'd rush ahead or lag behind if we got to spend our time any way we wanted.
That's why this Colorado time out was so important to me.

I needed to get away and reevaluate my life and how I spend it.
Who I'm living for and what is important to me.

I was reminded of the glory and power of God when hiking the Maroon Bells to Crater Lake in Aspen, CO.
To view with appreciation the fact that God doesn't need ME to move mountains- He's capable of that and more.

To notice how swiftly rushing water is created by melting snow high above us reminded me that God works behind the scenes in my life so that His timing is perfect.

To be able to breathe (despite the change in altitude) made me appreciate every breath I'm given each day.

I've been able to rest and be renewed. I've learned that I can do more things than I thought- I went horseback riding and didn't fall off; I survived whitewater rafting (the only doubt I had was when they handed me my wetsuit and expected me to be able to wriggle it on without needing CPR afterwards)!

I'm challenged to try new things now that I'm back home. I'll be blogging about it as I go along so stay tuned.

Oh, one more thing: I don't know if you think God uses symbolism in our life-lessons but I do. As we were driving down the highway in Colorado we were dive-bombed by an eagle! Seriously. It swooped so close to our windshield that both Don and I ducked. It then flew off and disappeared. We're still talking about it.