Category Archives: My 3 Sons

Then I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff and I’ll…

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Our most viewed post for the past year was a Daniel Fast article! “The Daniel Fast: Here We Go!” was the top viewed post, followed closely by “We Don’t Do the Church Thing”.  Today is our final flashback, celebrating Hope in the Healing’s One Year Anniversary! Anything that included My Three Sons was always a “hit”.  My sweet friend, Carrie, was the inspiration for this post. Enjoy!

168096_192971524046629_2724866_nHindsight is always better than foresight, so they say. I am a slow learner. I think I’ve told you I raised boys, did I tell you I raised boys? I may have told you I had at least three boys, sometimes it seemed like more. Three adorable, look-you-in-the-eye-I-didn’t-do-it boys. So I have an excuse for my absentmindedness.

The boys, they caused all kinds of things to happen to me, it wasn’t my fault.

I could usually get away with blaming it on Kristopher, the middle riddle. It usually was his fault! He was known for his mischievousness, and if I wasn’t apologizing to a teacher, a parent, or a neighbor, we were visiting the emergency room. It started very early in his life. We arrived at the hospital just in time to settle in, and the obstetrician arrived just in time to catch Kristopher; and he has been running ever since.

Kyle, The Worrier, is 5 ½ years older than Kris and has always been his protector, even though it usually meant he had to tattle. It was nothing for him to come running in my bedroom with a horrified look on his face, “Mommmm!!!! Kristopher is on TOP of the refrigerator!” Kristopher had barely learned to walk, how could he be on TOP of the refrigerator?! But true to his word, there he was, sitting proud as a peacock, smiling from ear to ear and clapping his little hands.

Kyle was terrified. I had a problem.

It wasn’t two days later that I heard the same blood-curdling scream as he came racing down the hallway. I was taking curlers out of my hair and thought surely the house was on fire. Two minutes ago they were sitting quietly playing with their Fisher Price airplane! Kyle comes tearing into the bedroom, “Kristopher, (pant, pant) Kristopher!!!”

That’s all he could get out, I was already running. Thankfully our little ranch house was small, and not so thankfully, I could already smell smoke! There he was, sitting on the kitchen counter again. This time he had taken all of the little plastic ABC magnets off of the refrigerator and put them in our toaster oven and turned it on! In seconds, smoke was pouring out of the oven. Thank God he wasn’t burned! And thank the Lord for Super Sleuth Kyle!

I could go on and on and write a book on Kristopher alone but I want to save some of that material for other slow blog days!

I have been laying the foundation for my defense for the story I am about to share. I was a frazzled mother of three. My husband was a busy air traffic controller and God knows how stressed they are. I could tell you that statistics show it is one of the most stressful jobs in the WORLD!

We were also youth pastors at the time of a large and very active youth group, which we loved very much. Kyle was involved in Bible quizzing and I was one of the coaches. That was also a very time-consuming activity, but we loved it and it was worth it.

There are some things in life that are just worth the effort. Sometimes you are just desperate. You will go the extra mile and push everything else aside. No matter what it costs, you will do whatever it takes to get what you need for your loved ones.

Now stay with me here…you won’t believe where I’m going. And it does get spiritual, I promise.

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“While he (Jesus) was preaching…four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’” Mark 1:2-5 NLT.

We can all feel this man’s “pain”, wanting to get to the front of the crowd, not being able to see, especially if you are short like me! Well they were definitely creative! I read that a first century home in Palestine had a flat roof made of stone tiles which was very easy to remove and easy to replace. It wasn’t like they tore up someone’s home, thankfully.

And it also had an outside staircase up the roof. So they could easily carry their paralytic friend on his “bed”, which was just a lightweight pallet or mattress-like pad. But they still didn’t just shrug their shoulders and say among themselves that it was too much trouble. And not only did their friend receive his miracle, he received the forgiveness of sins, the bigger miracle!

They were desperate and they resorted to desperate measures. 

So I found myself in quite the similar situation one beautiful spring day almost twenty years ago. We had a quiz tournament to go to a couple of hours away and I was driving the church van and taking the quiz team. I had driven to town to pick up our babysitter that was going to stay with my littlest baby boy, Korey Ross, at the time. I picked up the Bible quizzers, then came back to the house to drop off the babysitter and Korey, before we all headed north for the tournament.

Everything was under control, we were on time and it was a beautiful day. The kids were happy, we get back to the house and there was only one big problem. I didn’t have a key to the house!

I don’t even remember now why I didn’t have the key, it’s been so long. But I do remember why we couldn’t take Korey with us. The car seat and his diaper bag with his diapers and bottles were in the house too! THAT was a big problem.

And now we are running out of time. I was in a panic. The Bible quizzers were in a panic. This was a big tournament. They were all talking at once. And believe it or not this was BEFORE cellphones! Or at least I didn’t have one. It wouldn’t have done any good to call anyone. The neighbors didn’t have a key anyway.

I know what I am about to tell you would not be what YOU would have done. I have been laughed at for the last 20 years over this one and now I am just laying myself out there for the world to laugh some more. I didn’t care what it cost. I did it for the kids.

That’s right; I did it for the kids.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I went around to the side of the garage, our house backed up to a woods, thank goodness, so no one saw the “vandalous” act that was about to take place.  They might have called the police. And before you jump too far ahead, yes, I had already tried ALL of the windows; they were locked!

I went around to the side of the garage and there was an old brick lying there by the garage window so I picked it up. I thought if I broke the garage window it wouldn’t cost too much, and that would be the safest place to break into. I told all of the kids to stand back and I threw that brick with all the strength I had and instead of shattering into a million pieces it came back and almost hit me in the face! Stupid windows were double-pane!

I had to throw that brick at least three times before I ever broke it! The quiz team was cheering me on. Well, all of them except for Kyle. He just kept saying, “Dad is gonna be so mad, Mom. He’s gonna be so mad.” Kyle is a worrier. I told him Dad would understand.

He’s like that, your dad, he’ll understand.

We scraped all the glass away from the window the best we could. We then scooped The Worrier in through the opening to run and open the garage door. We’re in! Everything from there is a mad dash. Get the babysitter and the baby settled. She is a nervous wreck because “DAD” will be home before I will. I assure her he will understand! But she isn’t so convinced. And unfortunately there is no way for me to get to him and tell him what has happened before he gets home. He just gets to show up.

Well, the good news is the Quizzers won!! And to brag on them a little more they even made it to Nationals that year!

The bad news is that DAD wasn’t real happy with MOM.

It did take some convincing that my getting the kids to the quiz tournament was just as desperate as the four men getting the paralytic to Jesus! They won the tournament just like he had his sins forgiven! And I should be forgiven too!

I tried to tell him it was just a window, it was replaceable, and they sell them on TV all the time.

And one day we will laugh about this, really we will, and so will everybody else.

It is true that sometimes our situations put us in a place of desperation. And while breaking windows and tearing down doors may not be the best way to go about it, we do need to be desperate when it comes to our relationship with God, desperate for the will of God at any cost.

Desperate for the people that we see every day with a need, and then be willing to make a difference.

Desperate to reach our unsaved families, to go out of our way to heal the hurting, and then, through us, Jesus can reach the broken.

Do I really care about those whose lives are paralyzed by sin? Those that might just be waiting for me to reach out to them? Who are waiting for me to invite them to church or my home fellowship group? Or just out to dinner one night?

Am I too busy being a “Christian” that I don’t have time to carry one corner of the bed of my paralyzed friend?

Early Christians “turned the world upside down” for the cause! They lived in hard times and difficult circumstances without the tools we have available to us today. Let us be just as desperate in our desire to reach those that we see on a daily basis. Let’s make it easy for them to get to Jesus.

And if you’re ever locked out of your house…just call me. 

12 Hours to Save Thumper

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I haven’t seen the Disney movie Bambi in years but I may have to rent it soon. And I will probably cry all the way through it because of Thumper. I think one of Thumper’s most famous quotes in that movie is, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”  He was also pretty wise for a bunny rabbit. He was the cutest cartoon character; so loveable, so adorable, so stinkin’ cute!

Thumper was brave, really brave. We found him yesterday at the end of our driveway. The Sweetheart almost ran over him but decided to get out and inspect the dark little bundle curled up at the edge of the yard. He at first thought it was a mouse because he was so tiny but upon further inspection, he realized what he had discovered.

Thumper, the tiny bunny rabbit, couldn’t have been more than a day old; he had small puncture wounds under his left ear and left hind leg. Later in the day we would discover the empty nest and the black cat lurking by who had likely taken the rest of the family.

Luckily for us, middle son Kristopher, the RN in the family, was visiting for the weekend. He is also a lover of animals of all shapes and sizes. What I didn’t realize is how this small little mammal would capture our hearts so quickly.

We brought him in and immediately found an eye dropper and warmed up some milk, and began searching the internet for any information on how to care for a “kit”, as they are referred to in their infancy. We learned they needed a heating pad for warmth, and that kitten’s milk would be the best. Kristopher cleaned his wounds and fed him some milk we had on hand; we got him settled in a box with his heating pad. But he was still pretty lifeless, so off we go to get the right kind of milk, just to make sure this little guy doesn’t go the way of his siblings.photo

All day long we tended to his needs, huddled around the cardboard box as if the world had stopped for this one little creature. He had to make it! We called the veterinarian; yes, we called the veterinarian on a Friday night! She told us that, in most cases, they do not survive without their mother but she would continue to doctor him exactly as we were doing. Keep him warm; feed him every three hours. He would probably even show signs of improvement but not to expect a miracle.

At his 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. feedings he was like a different bunny rabbit! He was moving around in the box, rooting under his blanket and really going after his milk. We were ecstatic, we talked to him like we were feeding a baby. Good thing nobody was watching, we were probably making fools of ourselves but we didn’t care, Thumper was going to make it and we were saving him! I felt like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman!

You can see our first feeding attempt on video by clicking the link here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxbwND3hzyE

At the 4:30 a.m. feeding I got up to check on Kristopher and we saw Thumper wasn’t  doing so well. He didn’t want to take his milk, his breathing was labored and we were very worried. We were all gathered around the box again. Kristopher had him all cocooned in his hand with his blankets to keep him warm, he was lifeless, but kept opening and closing his mouth, and we realized he was gasping for air. We had prayed for this rabbit, you would have too! My heart was breaking for one of God’s little ones who had suffered under the hands of another so cruelly, it just didn’t  seem fair. I was so hoping we could save him; but it just wasn’t meant to be.

At 5:30 a.m., almost exactly twelve hours after we brought him in from the cold, Thumper quietly  slipped away. Our hearts were broken. How can you fall in love with such a pitiful looking little guy in such a short time? He fought hard, we fought hard, but it seemed we all had lost.

I’ve thought about it all day, Thumper, maybe you are better off. It’s a scary world for such a little guy. Even though I couldn’t understand why we lost this battle, I was wonderfully reminded how blessed we were to get to spend twelve hours close up with one of God’s special newborn creations. We were able to feed him, hold him, and try our best to breathe life back into him. For that I am grateful, because it taught me so much in that short time. Lord, help me to take the time to LOVE, even when I think it might not be worth the effort. Thumper was worth it.

I think he said it best, “Being brave is easy. All you got to do is be scarier than what is scaring you!”thumper

 Goodbye Thumper, you will be missed…

     

 

Don’t Fence Me In!

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Molly was a treasure, truly she was. Our little family didn’t have the best of luck when it came to keeping a pet. We had boys, three of them to be exact, and boys just had to have puppies when they were little. I wanted the entire perfect picture: perfect husband, check, cute little house, check, three little blonde haired, blue-eyed boys, check. Time for the puppy! 546378_503126283031150_1251154269_n

The problem we had was that we were not very good with pets. The Sweetheart was terribly busy with his career and I was even busier trying to keep three boys from playing in the streets or setting the house on fire. We really didn’t have time for a pet, but the all-American pressure of the perfect family demanded one!

It wasn’t long afterward that we got the opportunity to buy the house that my husband was born in and seven beautiful wooded acres to go along with it. The boys were in heaven. What would go better with three boys, seven acres and a POND but a puppy!! Enter the cutest little bundle of joy you have ever seen, a beagle we affectionately christened Molly.

This little brown and white spotted queen knew she owned the farm. My father-in-law was a stone mason and had 120 acres for a small hobby farm and hay fields. He subdivided it and built a new house for himself and my mother-in-law and we bought the homestead; this meant the farm was now connected to the new subdivision. My husband’s two brothers and a sister also lived in the subdivision, so we were blessed to be surrounded by family. It was a great place to raise the boys. It was also heaven-on-earth for a beagle. Molly was no exception; she absolutely loved it.

The only problem here is that Molly wouldn’t stay at home. She loved to explore. Now you would think that with seven acres there would be plenty of room for adventure. She had hundreds of trees, dozens and dozens of squirrels to chase, lots of little chipmunks and way too many moles that were destroying our yard. She had plenty to keep herself busy right there but Molly liked to explore OUTSIDE of our yard. So The Sweetheart decided he was going to have to put in an invisible fence. You may have never met my Doogalas, but he is thrifty, some call him tight, some might even say he is a penny-pincher. But he is NEVER lazy.

He decides he will put in this invisible fence all by himself…naturally his boys are going to help him. Kyle and Kristopher are now old enough to be ordered around. Had Facebook  and Instagram been invented this would have made great entertainment all its own. But I digress. So the electric fence is now installed and all is well. Molly is wearing her collar and we all assume our positions. Kyle turns on the switch and we wait. Poor Molly, that first little shock is just that. It is a shock! She has no idea what has happened to her but after the training is over she just sits at her house with a dejected look on her face contemplating her next move.   

We assume she has learned her lesson and we all go about our business working in the yard but about thirty minutes later I notice her creeping up to the line and just sitting there for a few minutes and then suddenly she bolts! One little “Yelp!” and she is gone! She has decided that little shock for a brief second is worth it for an afternoon of freedom. And the chase is on! The Sweetheart has spent almost a week putting that fence in and in seconds it is over.

It wasn’t unusual for a neighbor or family member to bring her home. Everybody loved Molly and Molly loved everybody. When we took a pastorate in Cincinnati, Ohio, three hours away from our beloved home, many people offered to take her and keep her for us but the move was hard enough for the boys, we couldn’t leave Molly behind.

When we moved again to Missouri several years later, Molly was getting older and my brother asked to take her. This time I knew it was too much for her, living in the city in Cincinnati was hard for her and my brother lived in the country where she would be happy again. She died there a few years ago and he buried her under a beautiful old shade tree.  

I ran across a picture of her earlier this week and I was reminded of all the good times, walking her in the neighborhood, watching her chase squirrels, seeing her corner a groundhog one day and having no idea what she was going to do with it. Her bark was always bigger than her bite!

The time she treed a coon in the middle of the night, right outside our bedroom window, and she was not about to shut up until we came outside to see her trophy. In Cincinnati she didn’t have as big a yard but at least it had a fence around it. Unfortunately, we were also close to the Interstate and the noise really bothered her. We still took daily walks so she could get out and see the neighborhood but it wasn’t enough for Molly. Wouldn’t you know she found a way to dig a hole underneath that gate and one day we heard that familiar “Yelp!” This time it wasn’t from shock but from shear joy. She had done it again!

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We are all a little like Molly I think. We like to roam, we like our freedom, we like attention, we are human. We also love life, love people, we want to be involved, we want to go and do things, be a part, and when we can’t do the things we once were able to do it hurts. Sickness and pain interfere in our lives and keep us from doing the things we once loved and we don’t understand why these things have happened to us. Why must every day be so hard? Does God even hear me? Yes, my friend He does! You can find strength in the midst of your difficulty.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5.

Hope comes out of suffering. The Bible gave us a promise and it gave us proof – of whose suffering produced the greatest hope of all, Jesus Christ.

So even though we may not understand the trials we are going through, God is with us in our suffering. That is a great comfort to us! Start every day with the Word, praise and prayer and see the difference surrendering to Him makes in your life. I love the NLT version of the following scripture, I pray it blesses you today and you let it soak into your spirit and realize how much God truly loves YOU. Be determined like Molly to not be fenced in by your problems and let them overwhelm you to the point of giving in but let the Lord carry them for you.

“When I think of all of this, I fall to my knees, and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down in to God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:14-19.

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