tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70215443123249068812024-02-19T06:30:52.837-06:00 Melinda Mattson - The BlogMelinda Mattson...Savoring the Present and Whatever is Lovely
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-56308895241011515682020-01-01T12:27:00.001-06:002020-01-01T12:40:57.460-06:00Take cover! I'm blowing the dust off of this blog. I haven't been here in so long and I've missed you all. I figured the start of a new decade was as good a time as any to make a comeback.<br />
<br />
I've been writing while I've been away, but just haven't felt compelled to bring my words here, but maybe it's time to come back. Do people even read blogs anymore? Well, if you've made it this far, thank you for being here! Roll over the word "here" anywhere you see it below for a clickable link to my words.<br />
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I wrote about having an ongoing conversation with God on The Glorious Table <a href="https://theglorioustable.com/2018/06/rain-or-shine-devotion/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">here</span></a> and also wrote a piece for them about fearing the What Ifs <a href="https://theglorioustable.com/2018/02/afraid-what-ifs/" target="_blank">here</a>. I was honored to write a piece for author Lauren Flake on grief <a href="https://www.laurenflake.com/permission-to-grieve-what-grieving-well-looks-like/" target="_blank">here.</a> In it, I made mention of Marianne's encouragement of my grief process of my mom. Now she's gone as well. I still cannot wrap my mind around a world without her in it. But of course, she's in so many parts of it.<br />
<br />
My dear friend and author, Kelly Johnson invited me to share some of the words I spoke at Marianne's memorial with her readers. Such an honor to speak to God's invitation for us to color just as Marianne did so beautifully in her life. You can read those words <a href="https://kellyiveyjohnson.com/the-invitation-to-color-what-being-brave-looks-like/" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
<br />
It's fitting that one of the last things I wrote this year was about Texas and how wrong I was about her. Is Texas female? All I know is after being here eight years, I'm beginning to understand her appeal and charm and I'm grateful to be here. You can read my thoughts on Texas and our move <a href="https://alyssadelossantos.com/2019/06/17/dear-texas-i-was-wrong-about-you/" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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Cheers to new beginnings!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-62431836264992929652017-03-02T14:41:00.001-06:002017-03-02T14:43:55.984-06:00A Book Review of Talk: A Practical Guide to Cyberparenting and Open Communication<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi12FGHv5x7Nzz-ovCMZdCzru-1g7Nfy7CDfTV-EYYX28GhYLZI22rEcSRnjsfpxexkVgU58QwSGoxR_NWSpyu3BPREvl-3G-mZUOFIHztdNw6vsnzUmsotiN7eBNZQ2DmR5N1rgvujZQ/s1600/talk+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi12FGHv5x7Nzz-ovCMZdCzru-1g7Nfy7CDfTV-EYYX28GhYLZI22rEcSRnjsfpxexkVgU58QwSGoxR_NWSpyu3BPREvl-3G-mZUOFIHztdNw6vsnzUmsotiN7eBNZQ2DmR5N1rgvujZQ/s320/talk+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Reading Mandy Majors book <i>Talk: A Practical
Guide to Cyberparenting and Open Communication</i> is like sitting with your
girlfriend who’s done a ton of research on parenting well. The book is infused
with "me too" and "I get it" reassurance. Majors graciously
shares her wealth of experience and knowledge about parenting tweens who have
the web and all its entanglements in their pockets.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Her conversational style puts readers at ease,
which is saying something since she’s tackling thorny subjects. She boldly
wades into deep and dicey topics with Jesus as her compass. She does not offer
canned answers, but instead thoughtful and research-based guidance which she
has successfully put into action in her family. But it’s more than a trek
through murky waters, the book is interspersed with humor and practical advice
from a mom we can relate to.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Most of us are scared about the provocative
culture in which our kids are growing up. Mandy beckons us to stay engaged in
our parenting even when complacency or avoidance are tempting. She encourages
us to arm ourselves and our kids with good information, rather than give in to fear.
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">I’ve already followed Mandy’s lead and chopped
vegetables and acted normal while I uttered words like <i>puberty </i>and <i>sex
</i>to my fifth grader. I didn’t make it awkward. Sure, I lost three pounds in flop
sweat, but my kid doesn’t know that. I had <i>the </i>talk and we are both
still alive—I’m calling it a win! I’m grateful for the encouragement to be the
safe place for my kids to ask embarrassing or challenging questions with the
assurance I won’t betray them. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">While I expected the book to share examples of the
best filters for technology and a list of apps to avoid, but what I found
instead was a call to empower our kids to filter what comes into their view and
their hearts. Majors rejects the patronizing “that’s just how they are,” reference
to tweens but rather encourages an elevated standard where we can see our kids
rise. It’s still a hands on approach to parenting, but it is based on mutual
respect and higher purpose rather than expecting kids to be difficult and
unreachable. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">While Mandy shares from her own experience and
faith, she's quick to affirm others with the message, "Your family, your
choice," woven throughout the book. But the truth is, you'll likely want
to take notes on the tried and true practices she's put into place including a
cell phone contract you and your tween or teen can sign together. I'll be
copying this and several other wonderful suggestions she has for keeping
dialogue open for challenging conversations with our kids in everyday life.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">I’ve had the great pleasure of sitting across
the table from Mandy, and I can vouch for how authentically delightful she is.
She’s as funny, engaging, and wise in person as she is in the pages of her
tremendous book. I invite you to sit with her, learn, and laugh through <i>Talk:
A Practical Guide to Cyberparenting and Open Communication</i>. It truly is
like a perfectly chosen present from your dearest friend—the tween parenting guidebook
you wanted but didn’t know how much you needed.</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtFal-ZFMfij50cPPxuR_5U0U4vjYH0VHCIIs7DZHR7Jx9HoBoWiG-BYPPZEKDFw_ydzMgj48j5v8j5-mG4AlAFbcii7cZXd8Da_jHz_jXQMYL27bMNuix8LbrJPvm_FpCmiR3k1vjYw/s1600/Mandy.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtFal-ZFMfij50cPPxuR_5U0U4vjYH0VHCIIs7DZHR7Jx9HoBoWiG-BYPPZEKDFw_ydzMgj48j5v8j5-mG4AlAFbcii7cZXd8Da_jHz_jXQMYL27bMNuix8LbrJPvm_FpCmiR3k1vjYw/s400/Mandy.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Mandy Majors</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The book is currently available on this <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/TALK-Practical-Approach-Cyberparenting-Communication/dp/0692833188/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487887005&sr=8-1&keywords=mandy+majors" target="_blank">Amazon link</a></b></span></span></span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Th<i>e Hollywood Jesus author interview</i> is excellent and you might like to take a peek to learn a bit more about the heart behind the book. Click<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <b><a href="http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/author-interview-mandy-majors-talk/" target="_blank">here</a></b> </span>to read it.</span></span> </span></div>
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-41782489650950044452017-01-09T09:05:00.004-06:002017-01-09T09:25:26.771-06:00All in for 2017<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9d3f80eb-83ad-dc09-7a01-635780dccd5b" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444;">Another year is on the books, and a new year is upon us. I was honored to get to share my hopes for 2017 on</span> </span><u><span style="color: magenta;"><b><a href="http://www.incourage.me/?p=182765" target="_blank">(in)courage</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></u> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9d3f80eb-83ae-44cd-026d-df3a9e0dee87" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I <span style="color: #444444;">hope you'll take a minute to peek and share the love if you're so inspired.</span></span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">There's something I love about the sacred space of a fresh start. I love the way it feels</span> <span style="font-size: large;">to turn my face to the wind of a new year and feel the wind on my back from the one behind. Sometimes it feels like the gust is going to knock me clean off my feet and sometimes it feels like it's going to lift me higher. It always moves me forward, and yet I long to be all in for the here and now. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In our travels after Christmas, I saw a sweet young guy, probably seventeen-years-old, in the arms of his mother. She held him tight, and he let her in a way most teenage boys do not. I could see him sink into her and soak up her embrace. It was as if he wanted it to last him a while. This was a goodbye hug. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I gathered from my superior eavesdropping skills he was enlisting in the military. He was off to a new beginning all by himself. My heart pinged for his dear mom who didn't seem to want to let him go but was courageously putting her boy on a plane that would take him far, far away from her. I was honored to watch these two brave souls completely in the moment, soaking it up its every essence.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I want to be like them. Not just in the goodbyes I know will be tough, but in the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">see you after school</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">have a great day at work </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">farewells and all the moments in between.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The best of times, the most precious times, are all strung together by a bunch of seemingly routine moments. Oh, but to savor them, to be there for them. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I intentionally emulated that dear boy and his mom during our travels and felt it...the feeling of full life right under my nose. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was in the way Ainsley's eight-year-old supple hand felt in mine under the covers as we shared a hotel bed.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was in the sound of Emerson's "You're the best" whisper in my ear.</span></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was in the way I heard my dad tell me how proud he was of my mothering.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was in the way my brother texted I love you so much in all CAPS.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was in the way Dirk looked at me after we both caught the girls in a fit of giggles. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;">2017! I see you. I'm in. I'm all in for all of you.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7bqpJYrUVsEszTpZ7h3MhvG5mYUxwYNgdE6WPEYD_sFhXcAYbqfV_V77bdEAMet_1CNC3K8WsB5-56NPGU3mUPDc1v7vhhfNb0bSIsJ4Dtfv5yNZxDe5ZUDyHIKzZjMy3xIZ7FC6JKM/s1600/DSC_0661e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7bqpJYrUVsEszTpZ7h3MhvG5mYUxwYNgdE6WPEYD_sFhXcAYbqfV_V77bdEAMet_1CNC3K8WsB5-56NPGU3mUPDc1v7vhhfNb0bSIsJ4Dtfv5yNZxDe5ZUDyHIKzZjMy3xIZ7FC6JKM/s320/DSC_0661e.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> </span>melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-1181088780028010682016-12-15T10:52:00.000-06:002016-12-15T17:10:25.902-06:00Frontyard Miracles<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-4ce50ca6-0357-1857-bf49-38f5e0979345" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A miracle happens every day in front of my <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">home</span>. I mean it's routine, on time, scheduled down to the minute, but it is extraordinary all the same. It doesn't come in with whistles or streamers or any other indication of its wonder, so it would be easy to miss. It's big and yellow, so it's hard not to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">see </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">it, but a person could miss the miracle if they weren't tuned it. It just pulls up in front of my house and delivers my dreams come true every day. I'm doing my best to pay better attention</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQcGQ_5_RzckhFSi2X3ngMdaiOQ1gbv4SVZrYujmF9KAjh-f19TBm5yz3ODU-9donVhnwxgLLNpFR0PabZao1EkQxY_Lr6IK1U6qyqEO_EpOIXZiojgxre6nUR2_q_0V-a2kcNfHzlnU/s1600/bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQcGQ_5_RzckhFSi2X3ngMdaiOQ1gbv4SVZrYujmF9KAjh-f19TBm5yz3ODU-9donVhnwxgLLNpFR0PabZao1EkQxY_Lr6IK1U6qyqEO_EpOIXZiojgxre6nUR2_q_0V-a2kcNfHzlnU/s400/bus.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's not so much the bus that's miraculous, although door-to-door service is surely worth celebrating. It's </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">who </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">gets off the bus each day and runs up our brick path and into my arms. Two enchanting girls of our own. They're their own people now. Children yes, but individual, capable, opinionated people walk into our house every afternoon.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm privileged to be the first to hear their stories about the playground and lunch: the canvas on which their childhood is painted. So much of everything tender about school happens in one of these places and I'm entrusted with their stories.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's as though my appreciation of them has come into crisper focus lately. As though the lens has been turned such that everything about them is sharper and clearer. I see it</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Doctors sat in front of me and Dirk and told us we had a zero chance of conceiving a child. Zero. But they're here. They're right in front of us. Sometimes it's just too much to take and I have to scoop them up in my arms and before I can say a word, they say in exasperation, "I know, I know, you love us </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">soooo</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>much." And they can groan until forever and I'll never stop saying it, never stop appreciating the miracle of the breath in their lungs.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But the truth is, I do forget sometimes. The witching hour after school rolls in and tired groans over improper fractions or branches of government make me want to turn and run away...alone. Sometimes we argue about whether or not they have to brush their hair. It doesn't feel miraculous and extraordinary. It feels like a tremendous amount of work and I feel bad about how much I want to escape it. But I get it now. In order to appreciate the glitter of silver linings, you have to have clouds. I don't think I fully got that before, but now I do. We appreciate the summit because we remember the climb in the rain and the times we fell and slammed our knees on the rock face. But at the top of the mountain, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">everything is </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> clearer, we can see for miles, and our perspective is changed.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So yellow school buses, improper fractions, and scuffles about hygiene, I see you and I'm so glad you're here.</span></span></span></div>
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-42941470694011460592016-10-11T10:34:00.002-05:002016-10-12T12:35:07.358-05:00Strength in Meekness on a Three Day Weekend<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday was a school holiday. Whether for Columbus Day, Indigenous People's Day, or my<i> </i><u><b><span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: #93c47d;"><a href="http://www.melindamattson.com/2015/10/birthdays-in-great-beyond.html#.V_z90SSdDYg" target="_blank"><span style="color: #999999;">mom's birthday</span></a></span><u>, </u></span></b></u>a three day weekend was on the books. We hosted a play date and the very same kids who were at our home two years ago were over again. I was reminded of the lesson I learned and had written about love. There's tremendous power in simply letting it wash over our people to cover their fatigue, their mood, their shortcomings. Lord knows we all need a covering now and then, and blessed are we who offer it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you'll enjoy this<u> <b><a href="http://www.melindamattson.com/2014/10/baby-you-look-brave.html#.V_0ERiT4XbU" target="_blank">post</a></b> </u>from two years ago. It's not about Columbus, or holidays, or birthdays, but it is about the powerful force of love we all have the freedom to share. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Carry on, friends. You're doing so well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Click on the word *post to read the story:)</i></span> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"></span> melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-31391164088318100642016-10-04T10:32:00.002-05:002016-11-17T21:59:04.588-06:00Love without Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Emerson has a new friend this year. She's told me about the interests they share and the humor they find in everyday. They pair up when it's time to work as a team and play together at recess. They have found points of connection and communication which transcend words, which is helpful since her new friend speaks virtually no English.<br />
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Haemil is from South Korea and this is her first year in an English only school. The combination of translation technology, a wonderful teacher, and Haemil's tremendous intellect are serving her well and she's finding success in the classroom. But social connections require the other children to be willing to cross the language barrier and create a path to engage. I couldn't be more proud of my little bridge builder who has taken it upon herself to find a way to love this girl well.<br />
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Emerson has learned a lot about showing love without words this year, yet she has willingly taken on a personal study of the language so she can communicate more fully with her new friend. She created a folder of common Korean words and phrases and their phonetic pronunciation. She is even learning the characters for each one. She has, out of the purity of her loving heart, done what we dream our friends will do: find a way to understand us.<br />
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I went to to the school Book Fair this morning to help Emerson select some books to buy. Haemil smiled shyly toward me as she placed her hand on Emerson's back and pointed to her wish list of books. Instinctively, Emie led her to the sections where each title was displayed. Haemil touched her again and pointed to a few of the specialty items behind the librarian's desk. Emie came to me and told me precisely which items Haemil wanted to purchase. Following the lead of my little love, I told the librarian I'd be helping Haemil today and could she please gather the items Emie mentioned. The librarian gently led Haemil to the items and encouraged her to choose her preferred color in each one. Haemil's face lit up like Christmas morning. She now held in her hands everything she had hoped to get at the fair. Without a little help, it would have been quite a challenge for her to find the items and communicate her wishes within their allotted shopping time.<br />
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As we waited for her total to be calculated, Emie picked up a prop hat on a stick which was there for the students' enjoyment. She held it over her head and made a silly face in Haemil's direction. She then held it over Haemil's head, which set her to fits of giggles. She'd done it again, tapped into joy without saying a single word. <br />
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I walked the girls back to the classroom and along the way, Em put her hand on Haemil's shoulder and pointed to me and said, "This is my umma," the Korean word for mom. Haemil's smile widened as another bridge was crossed in our introduction.<br />
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I drove away from the school with a lump in my throat and my heart swollen with pride for my beautiful girl. Sometimes tween-dom brings unwelcome bravado in which a child I brought
into the world asserts her presumed authority and expertise in
everything. It can be exhausting to control my response and be careful
not to over-correct her when she's simply trying to stretch her wings.
But today, I gladly followed her lead as the resident expert in loving others well. She has so much to teach me about leaning in and loving with my life before my words.<br />
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“Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” St. Francis of Assisi</div>
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-68482761944216175982016-09-07T07:00:00.000-05:002016-09-07T07:15:44.993-05:00A Different Beautiful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>I am honored to have Courtney Westlake guest posting on the blog today. Courtney is a fellow University of Illinois graduate, a recently published author, and a gifted communicator. I know you'll enjoy her words, her story, and her refreshing perspective on true beauty. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When my daughter was first born, I thought they just needed to wipe her off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At first glance, she seemed to be covered with a thick coating of white, causing confusion and near-panic with the medical staff in the room. It soon became clear that the towel the nurse was using to clean her wouldn’t alleviate anyone’s concerns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because the white covering was her skin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our daughter Brenna (our second child and sister to our now 7-year- old son Connor) was born in 2011 with a rare genetic skin condition called Harlequin Ichthyosis (har-le- kwin ick-thee- oh-sis).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This severe disorder means that Brenna’s body has trouble with things like regulating her body temperature – she can’t even sweat – and keeping bacteria out, so she can get skin infections easily. It also means that her body produces skin about 10 times too fast, leaving her with very dry, peeling skin that looks like a sunburn all over her body.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brenna’s condition affects our lives very profoundly every day and has caused her four short years to be filled with surgeries, doctor and therapy appointments, and a lot of health issues. But my husband, Evan, and I have never questioned why – we have believed from the very beginning in God’s plan for Brenna’s life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are often asked what is “wrong” with Brenna, with her skin or her face. But to be But to be wrong is to be mistaken… and I don’t believe that mistakes happen with our awesome God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Brenna was just a few days old, critically ill in the neonatal intensive care unit, a family member came to us and said: “I haven’t talked to God in years… but I’ve been praying for Brenna.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was in that moment that I was assured that God had an extraordinary purpose for her life, and that he was bringing his children closer to him through our daughter and working through her to reach the hearts of others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And, as I soon discovered, God was also working through me, by giving me the courage to stand up and say that my daughter is not wrong, she is beautiful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">God has given us the courage to find the beauty in this life, not the tragedy. We believe wholeheartedly that Brenna was given to us uniquely and beautifully created by God, not that she was given to us broken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Within this, we are learning every day how to discover the beauty in the different and the unexpected. Where society often mocks different, we have found God’s beautiful creation in our differences and are learning to glorify his awesomeness through our distinct personalities, talents, and yes, appearances.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And yet, as we learn to appreciate and to celebrate our differences – our own and each other’s – it also serves as a great reminder that the God who created each of us with unique purpose and talents also created us with a likeness in his image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are different, and we are the same – none of us perfect, but formed purposely by a perfect Creator. And there is nothing wrong about that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Courtney Westlake is the author of newly released book <span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;"><u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="http://www.courtneywestlake.com/adifferentbeautiful/" target="_blank">A Different Be<span style="color: #38761d;">autiful</span></a></span></u>.</span> </span>She lives in Illinois with her husband Evan and two children, Connor and Brenna. After Brenna was born with a severe skin disorder, Courtney began chronicling family life and experiences raising a child with physical differences and special needs on<u> </u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><u><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.courtneywestlake.com/" target="_blank">her blog</a></span></u>.</span> Her writing has been published on sites such as the Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and Yahoo Parenting. You can follow her on <a href="http://facebook.com/blessedbybrenna" target="_blank">Facebook</a><u> </u>and <u><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="http://www.courtneywestlake.com/adifferentbeautiful/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span>.</span></u></i></span><br />
<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-2483291397494769692016-08-05T11:13:00.000-05:002020-01-01T12:48:21.495-06:00Sweet Sixteen with the Leader of the Band<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For sixteen years I have been Dirk's wife. He's seen me fancied up for parties and rumpled up from the flu. He's heard me speak kind words softly and heard the sharp tone of my snappy retorts. He's enjoyed gourmet meals lovingly prepared and swallowed burned biscuits served in silence. But for more than three decades of his life, he didn't experience any of these things. He didn't know me, and I didn't know him.<br />
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I don't always think about how much of our lives have been spent apart, but it is good to remember. It's good to take into account the full lives we lived before we were Melinda110 and Dirk509 on <i>Christian Connection</i>. I was well set in my career twelve miles inland from Malibu, and he'd just completed doctoral coursework at Arizona State when we met. We had lives - full single lives - before we ever became husband and wife. We both had no interest in marrying unless we felt a union would enhance our already bountiful lives. Much to our surprise, a trial on an online dating service lead us into the best merger we could have imagined. But we were individuals for a long time before we were a couple.<br />
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This week we're up in northern Minnesota visiting Dirk's parents, and I'm surrounded by the history of the man who married me. Some of it feels familiar after so many years together. I recognize him in the childhood pictures his mother still has on the wall. I know where the tree house used to be in the backyard. But this trip, I got to hear some tales I'd never heard before because they were told by people outside of the family who knew Dirk before he ever knew me.<br />
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Dirk's class reunion was last weekend, and it was a surprisingly great time. These things can be both terrible and wonderful depending on who attends and what expectations are in the room. But this was actually great fun. His class is full of interesting characters who have gone on to become engineers, attorneys, sales executives, architects, and parents. Person after person came up to me to introduce themselves and tell me about Dirk through their eyes. I felt myself well with pride the way you do when you first start dating someone and hear privately, "He's a catch," or "He's the nicest guy." And your reassurance grows as you realize it's not just you who thinks he's a keeper. But to feel such advocacy sixteen years in, well, that's a sweet surprise.<br />
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Dirk's high school is this amazing place which actually has a spot on the National Register of Historic places. It was built by a mining company back in 1923 who were displacing the town after discovering valuable iron ore under the existing city. To make the move more palatable to the residents who highly valued education, they promised to build a "castle in the woods" for the students. And that they did as they spent $4 million on the building in 1923!<br />
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The 1800 seat auditorium was modeled after the Capital Theatre in New York with crystal chandeliers currently insured for $250K a piece. The stalls in the bathrooms are separated by solid marble slabs and the dressing rooms off stage were outfitted with box lights around mirrors like the finest in Hollywood. As a result, the drama and band department at the school was widely acclaimed, and all the kids wanted the honor of being part of these programs. Aside from the band's leader, who is kind of a legend around town to this day, there was one drum major who won the respect of his classmates and is still upheld as the best they ever had: Dirk Mattson. I mean, I knew this, to some extent. I knew he'd been the drum major in the band, and people mentioned how good he was when we'd bump into them on visits. But to have dozens of people come up to me to make a point to speak to me about the lasting impact of his leadership on them and how irreplaceable he remains even today got my attention. So many whispered, "He's such a good guy," or "You married well," into my ear as they walked away, and I knew they spoke truth.<br />
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We can get pretty familiar with the story of our marriage, assuming we know the key characters and setting. But I'm grateful to be introduced to the prologue and what set the stage for the chapters we've written together. The sum total is a sacred and beautiful tale full of more than a few plot twists and even a villain or two, depending on the page or day of the week. But after sixteen years, here's what I know: Dirk is a keeper, it turns out, just as I suspected he would be. It was wonderful to hear so many people lean in and agree with me at the reunion. But what I treasure most in our story are the pages known only to me, the excerpts reserved just for husband and wife.<br />
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Building a life with stories wide open is nothing short of holy. It takes guts to share the not so favorable parts and even more courage to turn the page. I love the back stories which brought us to this anniversary, and I look forward to chapters still unwritten. <br />
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Here's to sweet sixteen with the drum major.<br />
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He's a good leader indeed.<br />
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Where he marches, I will follow. melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-33739179628238495572016-07-16T15:27:00.000-05:002016-07-16T22:04:59.738-05:00Hope is Hazardous but Worth the Risk <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTSbpGKxmS-eURdJO2em9zPuugOGFNRq8Aw_oMn7e9alcbpS_B8IMr6urMXwA1jnooj_KIsJrVaCWrfSFyIHQRKX2PNKO65xOkI6_IQCkst6hqXMaergObCzAYKJ-HGlcKqBmzu8fIqU/s1600/hope_meme.1jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTSbpGKxmS-eURdJO2em9zPuugOGFNRq8Aw_oMn7e9alcbpS_B8IMr6urMXwA1jnooj_KIsJrVaCWrfSFyIHQRKX2PNKO65xOkI6_IQCkst6hqXMaergObCzAYKJ-HGlcKqBmzu8fIqU/s400/hope_meme.1jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">I <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">need<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">ed this refresher today<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> and maybe you <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">did </span>too<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">:<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">You are overflowing with hope about some amazing thing
that’s about to happen. You pick up the phone to call one of your people. You can
hardly wait for them to answer. And then, when they’ve scarcely said hello, you
blurt out, “Guess what?!” and tell them what you are over-the-moon excited
about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Then they say that thing no one ever wants to hear. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">“Just don’t get your hopes up.” </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Umm, what? </span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">We’ve all heard it, thought it, or maybe even said it
ourselves. But why are we compelled to diminish hope in those we love?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://theglorioustable.com/2016/06/hope-is-hazardous-but-worth-the-risk/" target="_blank">Read more</a> </span></span></span></div>
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-86056766781398479182016-03-31T08:15:00.001-05:002017-07-11T03:40:49.988-05:00Why I'm glad Unicorn Bones Were Found this Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDGc2O1FJrTzPvxQtr5xKpv5Zph_uaoJx5tGTHYr6dQqd0HVdeQzyL0YYGt6sLx66q9zBzgClY9lJY3GI3RdObuJNrGfCfWacAbOouafkfI_ALf3e4qFAMStDSGJMWPzyIm2B1pcRqTQ/s1600/unicorn-vector-89524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDGc2O1FJrTzPvxQtr5xKpv5Zph_uaoJx5tGTHYr6dQqd0HVdeQzyL0YYGt6sLx66q9zBzgClY9lJY3GI3RdObuJNrGfCfWacAbOouafkfI_ALf3e4qFAMStDSGJMWPzyIm2B1pcRqTQ/s320/unicorn-vector-89524.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So CNN reported this week that unicorn bones were recently discovered in Siberia. Journals of applied sciences and Snopes weighed in, and yep, legit news reporting has confirmed that the mythical creatures I've dreamed about since youth used to roam the earth for real. Except they were nothing like my dreams or screen printed book bag from sixth grade. The fossils show that they had the single horn, as their name suggests, but instead of being of stallion stature aglow in rainbows and fairy dust, they were rhino-like woolly mammoths who hung out in Kazakhstan. Well, that's disappointing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I spy a metaphor for life in this story. Sometimes we dream about a magical job, stage of life, or place to live. We spend lots of time imagining what it would be like there. We'll love it! Sure, it won't be perfect, because we're mature people not looking for a Fairy Tale, but it will be wonderful and we'll be <i>so </i>happy. But then we get there and find scenarios which never showed up in our daydreams. We did not authorize any of these adversaries and plot twists or cliff hanger moments. Our story was supposed to be shiny and light. We knew it wouldn't be spotless, but we never thought it would be so hard and humbling. And yet, these surprise elements are precisely what make up the best stories.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My life hasn't looked a lot like the fable I'd dreamed it would be. Things didn't happen in the time-frame I'd plotted out and I've had to say goodbye to key characters far earlier than I wanted to. Yet I am more fulfilled and joyful than I ever imagined I'd be. Real life, it turns out, trumps Fairy Tales all day long. When there's no script to follow, the unpredictable, messy and challenging parts come and the good stuff happens...the parts I don't want to miss. Not necessarily easy parts with rainbows and glitter, but meaningful moments where I'm refined to become the person I really want to be. It's in these seasons wisdom is gained, perspective is sharpened, and sweet times are birthed. Precious, deep, and wonderful times where I think my imperfect heart might explode from the love within it for the imperfect people I call mine. I was never aiming for perfect, after all. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I want my story to be about triumph, strength, spiritual growth, and glory to the author of my life. These elements are only found in tales where things don't go as planned and obstacles emerge. I'm learning to welcome the times when my little script is no longer relevant so I can remember Whose story this really is. I've found Him to be such a gracious playwright who never leaves me alone in my struggle, ensures my victory, and loves me without end. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So with this I raise my glass to the one-horned woolly mammoth! He isn't likely to grace the front of many coffee cups or t-shirts, but he's alright by me. </span>melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-60139459688841817602016-03-23T12:52:00.001-05:002016-03-23T21:55:04.746-05:00I Hope You Know How Much Jesus Loves You<span style="font-size: large;">Ainsley loves to make cards and notes and decorate them. I think I received seven cards from her on my last birthday. I wasn't surprised at all when she told me she wanted to make Easter cards this year. I gave her some cardstock and colored pencils and let her have her way. When she finished the first one for my dad, she asked me for an envelope and before sealing it up, I spied this little gem:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0QssfzO-5mn1nh-Q2EMckaMKHXw1xgATIbTPMSCfnD1kD6Vk7mm2C9rHsSohyphenhyphen964C0dZXGguPAbkgNTwb-8Zs9pK0IWtA29246etT1R4a3UFdbwrm6u_FwwqgvfNFt4toTEu56OlkQ8/s1600/IMG_5271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0QssfzO-5mn1nh-Q2EMckaMKHXw1xgATIbTPMSCfnD1kD6Vk7mm2C9rHsSohyphenhyphen964C0dZXGguPAbkgNTwb-8Zs9pK0IWtA29246etT1R4a3UFdbwrm6u_FwwqgvfNFt4toTEu56OlkQ8/s400/IMG_5271.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I was so struck by the simplicity of her wish and find it perfectly fitting for Holy Week. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><sup>"</sup>For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">John 3:16</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In a world where some of the loudest voices for Christianity are often filled with hate, I cringe at what people might misunderstand about our great God of love. I don't want to be lumped in with those who claim to be Christians while they make divisive and idiotic statements. I hope no one ever assumes I think the way they do simply because I am a Christian too. But more than my reputation, I want to protect the image of God. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">He <i>is </i>love. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">He loved the world <i>(the whole world)</i> so much that he gave his only son.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So that <i>whoever </i>believes shall not perish. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This love is so much bigger than we can even comprehend. Oh, but if we could see that doing anything without love can never... not one time...be attributed to Jesus. Being a Christian means we follow the way of Christ and He led in love --- may we do the same. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So on this Easter and everyday, I hope you know how much Jesus loves you and what a God of love He is. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh how He loves you and me. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Easter indeed! </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_huyDSjnHpw8Vrri27Enn-3iipeFnE-okgDcFlV6gUPEgcW00_Se3rm1bzVMjxauzMHfkWKW9l9wErSweyNQjOkk0q8BghhtY8bhL_J3fd-9cNY6h3svrnkayBP339g9ngmrId2iOiDc/s1600/IMG_5269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_huyDSjnHpw8Vrri27Enn-3iipeFnE-okgDcFlV6gUPEgcW00_Se3rm1bzVMjxauzMHfkWKW9l9wErSweyNQjOkk0q8BghhtY8bhL_J3fd-9cNY6h3svrnkayBP339g9ngmrId2iOiDc/s400/IMG_5269.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-7351569482120861962016-03-19T20:53:00.001-05:002016-03-19T20:53:23.508-05:00Why We Need to Just Do It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZT3gH6XoGk3BYUwnEZLd7vf_ewdI4qRN39FWHmrz6JiW50wG8zwrRbzazQJ7teGUpmKZpYgITfowwbDdPp7o8y3DKpfRbROP7EtVGaRWs3437m-ZuXqhQz4ycPuaMgCPXoGfzPdWROI/s1600/glorious+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZT3gH6XoGk3BYUwnEZLd7vf_ewdI4qRN39FWHmrz6JiW50wG8zwrRbzazQJ7teGUpmKZpYgITfowwbDdPp7o8y3DKpfRbROP7EtVGaRWs3437m-ZuXqhQz4ycPuaMgCPXoGfzPdWROI/s640/glorious+table.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“You will never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” ~Irish Proverb</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">I’m a muller. I like to think things through before I make a
decision. I’m not abysmally slow, mind you. If I’m at a restaurant, and
the waiter starts with the person to my right, I’ll have a decision for
him by the time he gets back to me. I just want some time to consider my
options before I make up my mind.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">When the decision is weightier than what I’ll have for lunch, the
mulling time does increase. It is safe to say I stew over an idea. I
think about it from every angle before discussing it with a trusted
friend who adds her perspective, which I proceed to consider. All the
while, I’ve taken no action.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Read more on <a href="http://theglorioustable.com/2016/03/devotion-why-you-need-to-just-do-it/" target="_blank">The Glorious Table</a>.</span>melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-73084961944389552172016-02-19T10:02:00.000-06:002016-02-19T10:36:02.684-06:00A Beautiful Farewell: Remembering the Last Week of My Mother's Life<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>These words were originally shared on Facebook two years ago today. I looked at today's date and realized this was the very day I packed a funeral dress in my suitcase and flew 1,100 miles to my mother's bedside.</i></div>
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Some of you know that I left San Antonio one week ago in the
dark of early morning. After receiving a call that my mom (who has been in
hospice care for advanced dementia and Parkinson's Plus) was terribly ill and
unresponsive, I flew to Illinois in a wild rush in the hopes that I would have
one more chance to squeeze the hand of the woman who raised me, who poured her
life into mine. By God’s mer<span class="textexposedshow">cy, I was given that
chance and so much more. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">The past seven days have been nothing short of
sacred, holy, and wrenchingly beautiful. My mom (and all of us) were given more
than we could have ever imagined or hoped for in the gift of her restored
clarity of mind and spirit for the last week of her life. Not only was I able
to squeeze her hand, I was able to have numerous conversations with her in
which she knew me fully. Her joyous persona, which none of us had seen for over
four years, was back for one last party. Though none of us had left anything
unsaid, we spent time telling her how much we loved her and one another and how
good it was to be together. She joked with us in the wit that has kept us all
in hearty laughter the whole of our lives. We talked about her soon to come
journey to heaven and how jealous we were that she’d get there first. </span><br />
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<span class="textexposedshow">We sang to her, and read God’s Word over her, and
laid in the bed next to her. We took her out of the residential home on Wednesday so that she could be
in her own bed and enjoy the comforts of the house in which she lived for more
than 46 years. Last night at 7:25pm, she left the party. While her beloved
family encircled her she quietly took her last breath and headed straight into
the arms of Jesus and to an out of this world party that has no end.</span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow">Though our hearts are shattered
we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We know that to be absent from the
body is to be present with the Lord. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">To all who swooped in and loved on my girls and
Dirk while I was away – I haven’t enough words to express my thanks. To be able
to focus entirely on being a daughter rather than as a mother this week was
glory divine. Never once were they out of my thoughts and heart though being
away from them was piercingly painful. Yet my heart was peace-filled knowing
that so many (in my stead) were scooting them off to school, practice, playdates,
and treating them to special meals. I fear that in my return they will miss
terribly all of the delicious food delivered hot to the table and find my
company rather dull after all of the great fun each of you has treated them to.
</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">To those who offered up prayers on behalf of my mom
please know that they held power. They were felt palpably as the Lord of heaven
and earth drew near to us. This was by far the most extraordinary week of my life.
I fell in love with my mom, my siblings, and my dad all over again. I always
knew I was blessed with a solid family but I’ve never been more humbled to be a
part of it.</span></div>
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-90603460911863692812016-01-22T11:02:00.001-06:002016-04-30T15:12:40.228-05:00They're Good when they Sleep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlUMsUIP4HKxC9QrpkOO4eIbaEtbEzqJiptkjdKQV4WVNJFecJllMCyBNOSGSshwOCnPiilXdnnLmRnrMwnqOgiLb3w-J5_R9ZvDlpawpOvFWFlLEecuKfMZ-7nQh6tYuud8mDO90h1g/s1600/IMG_0943a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlUMsUIP4HKxC9QrpkOO4eIbaEtbEzqJiptkjdKQV4WVNJFecJllMCyBNOSGSshwOCnPiilXdnnLmRnrMwnqOgiLb3w-J5_R9ZvDlpawpOvFWFlLEecuKfMZ-7nQh6tYuud8mDO90h1g/s400/IMG_0943a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My mother-in-law once told me when she, as a young girl, asked for herself and her brother, "Mama, are we good?" her mother said, "You're good when you sleep." The first time I heard this story, I was a bit appalled. How could a mother say such a thing to her child? Was she implying the only time they were good was when they were knocked out cold? It seemed pretty harsh, even for German ancestors not known for their effusive affection. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Over the years, my husband and I have made a bit of a joke of it when our girls catch an unplanned nap, with a smile we whisper to one another, "They're good when they sleep." But now, I actually think I get what his grandmother meant and I imagine her answer may have been different had she been asked on a different day or even a different time of day. Some days are crammed to the corners with the demands of parenting. The good isn't wildly evident amidst bickering, groans over homework and debates over why Cheetos aren't vegetables. But when the day's work is done and they are nestled in their beds, curls tousled over softly printed pillow cases, that is when we have the full bandwidth to see them </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">
– </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">to see that they are good, they are everything good.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Even on the best days of mothering, I am generally quite ready to call it a night as I kiss the little loves to sleep. There are times as I walk out the door of their room and they ask for yet one more fresh glass of water, it is all I can do not to go bat crazy because I haven't been allowed to clock out at my normal quitting time. The humanity! I <strike>usually </strike>don't lose my shizzle, and I do really adore these treasured girls, but we all have our limits. In the evening I eagerly anticipate those moments when no one will ask me how to spell something or why owls bob and weave their heads. And yet so many times after they have gone to sleep, when I am in the quiet all alone and I think only of them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My mind replays the accounts of the day. Sometimes it's the best of moments that come to mind
–
the times when we loved one another well, laughed heartily, listened intently to one another. Other times I recount missed opportunities or a tone I wish I hadn't taken. I offer a prayer of thanks that a new day is coming, a second chance to do better. And soon I find myself climbing to the top of the stairs to have one more look at them. They always look especially tiny in their beds, knees pulled to their tummies, faces softened with nary a crease to be found. It is in this place, where nothing is required of me, that I can see it. All
of their goodness rises like cream and I see who they really are</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">
–
</span>vulnerable, beautiful, tiny, impressionable, treasured little beings
entrusted to us for a whisper of time. And I see how good they always are, imperfect, but always good.</span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
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melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-66146462462571199772016-01-17T12:54:00.004-06:002018-08-21T15:53:52.379-05:00Here I will Stand, Here I will Dwell <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love a fresh start, a clean page, and most especially a new year. January always feels so full of promise and hope. Though I don't make resolutions, I do resolve to do things better and set goals for the coming year. I like to focus on a word or two maybe because that's all I can remember. Ha! In pondering and praying about 2016, the words <i>stand </i>and <i>dwell </i>kept coming to me. The idea of being unmoved by circumstance is wonderfully appealing to me. And staking a claim on promises, dreams, new land is what I'd love for this year to be about. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My friends and family tell me I'm steady and I am glad to agree. You won't have to wonder what sort of mood I'll be in when we meet and I am ever looking for the bright spot in every dark sky. But I know that in my heart of hearts, there are things that make me waver. I want to stand gracefully no matter the circumstance or expectation. I love even more the idea of peacefully dwelling in peace right where I am. I journaled about these words and my hope for the new year on January the 5th. It was just three days later that I got a call from the school nurse to say Emerson had fallen, a broken bone was suspected and I should come right away. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The irony wasn't lost on me that my word to focus on for the entire year was stand and just a few days later, a fall happened. </span>Is it bad that my first response was relief when I heard it was anything but head lice? I still have PTSD and it's been three years. Bones have been shattered, NBD, at least there aren't microscopic bugs crawling through the locks of my babe. Seriously, those relentless tiny beasts will survive the apocalypse.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">In addition to being thankful that my head wasn't already starting to itch, I was overcome with gratitude for a quick thinking PE coach who saw readily that an x-ray was necessary. We would be okay. We are blessed with ample and fantastic medical facilities all around our city and we have good health insurance. I was so proud of how Emerson handled herself though there is no doubt that it was tremendously painful. Each time she described the way her foot landed on the mat after her handstand to the varied caregivers she saw, my brain scrambled to wash away the image as quickly as it formed in my mind's eye. Just oww!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">She didn't waver as she moved her ankle further and further back the way it needed to be for the technician to get the best x-ray images. He told her it would be painful and it was obvious that it was, but she did as he asked without complaint. When the doctor told her that her ankle was fractured and would require a cast, she nodded silently, her eyes brimming with tears. When she was fitted for crutches and had to practice walking on them with her freshly splinted ankle, she listened attentively to his instructions and was walking on the crutches on her first attempt. They asked us to sit in the waiting room while they prepared paperwork for us to take to the pediatric orthopedist straight away where they would assess if surgery was required. As we sat, the EMT came in carrying two small plastic cups-- one full of water, and one holding two Advil tablets. He handed them to Emerson and asked her to take them. She told him she'd never swallowed pills and didn't think she could. He encouraged her to try telling her she could do it by simply putting them on her tongue and taking a big drink of water. She did as he asked but the pills did not go down. He asked her to try again, which she did, but to no avail. He went back to refill the water cup and asked her to empty it and the pills would surely go down and blurted "this isn't hard!" She drank the cup with tears streaming down her cheeks.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was the wall. We had tapped out the "let's try hard things" quota for the day. She was done. She didn't need to clear another hurdle of bravery today and it was time for me to stand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I told the EMT tending to us that we would use our own chewable version and to please leave it. Visably frustrated, he took the empty cup and asked her to spit the now bitter pills into it. He returned a few seconds later with a liquid dose of the medication he had in his stock all along. This version is for children ages 2-11 and Emerson is 10. This was the appropriate course for her all along. After passing her the cup he said, "You just broke your ankle without complaint and you can't swallow two little pills. You're stubborn!" Though he had been perfectly kind up to this point, I had a visceral urge to throat punch the guy. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Behold the power of words to bring either life or death. I know he was only frustrated because he didn't see this as a big deal, a big ask. And on most days it probably isn't. But some days are filled to the brim with plenty of challenge and there just isn't room for one more "you can do it!" song.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My aim isn't to berate well-meaning care givers suggesting alternative forms of safe medication. Instead I realize that all of this serves as a great reminder that bravery, strength, and standing tall, are so very misunderstood. The truth is, when someone realizes their own limitations and understands when they have hit the wall, that's what strength looks like. It's not stubbornness or weakness or anything else. My girl is so brave and she doesn't have to swallow anything to prove it. Bravery is in her DNA and mine too. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My heart was so heavy after seeing her in pain, watching her sit through four hours of appointments and the failed pep talk. I looked at her and said, "You're so brave." She shook her head and said, "No, I'm scared," and I replied, "Oh, girl, you can be both. You can feel more than one thing at a time. Listen, bravery isn't the absence of fear, it's carrying on in spite of it." This is just one of many very proud moments I have had with this little warrior. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I wish I could say that our time has gone swimmingly since this incident, but it really has not. We both fell the other day when I was "helping" her down a few steps off the bus. This little trick landed me flat to my back on our brick walkway. Ainsley got a stomach virus which displayed itself in a most un-tidy fashion, Dirk's still traveling way more than either of us want him to for work, and yet I am still standing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm delighted to know that clean pages and fresh starts can happen every day, not just on the first of January. His mercies are new each morning. I praise the God of heaven and earth that good health is our norm and smooth waters are what we know. But I will tell you this, though we wouldn't readily choose it ourselves, we can take a rough sea. We do not venture alone since our good guide is at the helm and we shall persevere. So in the midst of disinfectant scrubbing and assisting the temporarily casted, I stand on the promise that my God is good, so very good and I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here I will stand, here I will dwell.</span><br />
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<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-27140375952625682402016-01-05T11:29:00.000-06:002016-01-06T20:43:13.850-06:002015, Oh the Places we Went!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLW3bLKMNzRttgHR0v4TyADAmRz4JGcV46-Cvw7Ck7MnFdyOi8VC1WenxBrj_-Y9zExB0e-rEXKcRqNWqXmDnUOLuSXsK7HDFHCa-WQ7wsNldsnr7CFvAapQiNugI-3tY2n17JmRlSnA/s1600/IMG_4814a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLW3bLKMNzRttgHR0v4TyADAmRz4JGcV46-Cvw7Ck7MnFdyOi8VC1WenxBrj_-Y9zExB0e-rEXKcRqNWqXmDnUOLuSXsK7HDFHCa-WQ7wsNldsnr7CFvAapQiNugI-3tY2n17JmRlSnA/s400/IMG_4814a.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh 2015!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I love that one of my last glimpses of you was over Ainsley's shoulder through an airplane window. The year was about venturing into new terrain. You
took my family to Disney and Epcot, South Padre Island, Homecoming at U of I,
cabins and pontoon rides, snow covered forests in Minnesota and the gorgeous Blu
hotel at MOA. But you also took me places all by myself. I journeyed to Kansas
to celebrate the life of my beloved Aunt Judy and enjoyed time with my
incredible cousins. You took me to my 30<sup>th</sup> high school reunion to
rekindle friendships and realize that being comfortable in my own skin today is
far preferred to hiding behind it the way I used to when it was youthful and
crease-free. But some of my most memorable journeys with you weren't as much about
travel as they were about me placing my feet on new territory right where
I am. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You walked me onto a book launch team that changed me for
good. You taught me that the internet, though sometimes ridiculous, can be a
beautiful bedrock for profoundly deep relationships. You reminded me that true
friendships needn’t to be chased, but rather come willingly to my path. You
introduced me to names and faces before unknown to me but now forever etched in my
heart . You laid out opportunity for me to share my words and be inspired by
the words of others in wonderful writing venues.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You revealed a quote, though first spoken in the second
century, was new to me this year: “The glory of God is a woman fully alive.”
You inspired me to drink deeply the waters of life and savor the moments that
are mine. The year before I was abruptly reminded of the brevity of life, but
this year you showed me that acknowledging this does not diminish hope for the
future however brief it might be. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I came across this verse today that perfectly sums up how I feel with my face
in the wind of a new year:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same
moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves
standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of
God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Romans 5:1b-2 (The Message)</span></div>
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-5196561317909353732015-12-23T08:40:00.000-06:002018-08-21T16:04:00.806-05:00Words from the heart of Marianne Jones<i>Friends, you are in for a beautiful treat. One of my dearest friends is a dragon slayer and full of grace and beauty. She wrote this wrenchingly touching piece that captured my heart. I asked if I could share it with all of you and she generously agreed. My hope is to feature more of her writing here in the coming weeks. The world needs this voice. Let me introduce you to the incomparable Marianne Jones. She is as gifted as she is tender and dear. She has my whole heart and you're going to love her too. Enjoy~</i> <br />
<br />
Honesty check: This week I’ve been wrestling. Wrestling with this word “favored” as in when the angel said to Mary “Greetings, one who is highly favored. Mary, Did You Know? Is a fan favorite this time of year. Love it – esp by anyone singing acapella - But Mary, DID you know? How COULD you know?” What were you expecting when the angel said your son would “be great and will be called the son of the Most High…..and his reign will never end. (Luke !:32-33)” Whoa! That sounds like favor. As in I was picked. As in I’m privileged to do something and see something and be a part of something very very very special. I can get behind that kind of favor. Her response was “be it to me as you have said” Not sure mine would have been – but I surely understand she was a very special girl. I’m in her corner. Go Mary. I get “favored” in that context. But this week I’m struggling to juxtapose “favored” with the hard things we’re asked to go through. (Not that we’re really asked) Mary….DID you know? How could you know that your privilege of raising the Son of God would come at such a heart wrenching cost? If you did, would you have said the same thing? (probably so – or you may not have made God’s short list) I know there were joys, but did you know you would have to watch your baby boy turn into a man who was rejected and spit upon and listen as pound by pound they hammered nails into his near naked skeleton? How did you manage the sorrow? Where is the favor in that context? That’s just really really hard. And so I wrestle.<br />
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And it’s about Mary, but not really. It’s about me and where I find myself these days. There is a part of my heart that feels extreme privilege somewhere within this cancer diagnosis. Really and truly. It has allowed me a light-hearted perspective about much in this life and a satisfying sobriety and confident assurance about the perfection of the next. Things that I used to think glitter have shown their illusive properties. I value and strive toward substantive things like never before. My life is rich. People around me love deeply. It feels so good to be cared for. There is a part of my heart that feels chosen to walk a road of privilege with God – going to places in my soul where He meets me in the most ridiculously satisfying ways. Favor. In that regard, weird as it sounds, I feel highly favored – as if I’ve been given a trust. But the day in and day out can be really really really hard. And not favor-ful at all. I wrestle like the Psalmist who says “how long O Lord?”<br />
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My body is weary. My body hurts. I find myself resentful of God’s interruption….especially during the holidays. Sometimes I see a soul my story touches or encourages and that feels good…but often my days pass by and there are no great lessons learned…no tidy ribbons to tie around blessings gained….just mundane naps and meds and needles and nausea and fears about the future. Just being honest. At least that is what it looks like from here. So I wrestle. And in the quiet of my heart I hear God whisper his name. He is God. He has a plan in motion to point the world to the love He has for them and expensively displayed on the cross. I know very little of the workings out of the plan except one day He asked (well not really asked) Mary to be a part of it. He called her favored though much of what she went through was far from my “I won the lottery” definition of favor. And somehow He is asking me to be a part of it too...in my little corner of the world...in my little way…and I struggle with frustration…because I don’t want to have this c-word. But He is God and this is ultimately His story and so the deeper part of me (though lately reluctantly) cries out “be unto me as you have said.”<br />
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melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-443611566673049772015-12-17T10:53:00.000-06:002018-08-21T16:05:41.588-05:00Joy is Always Possible<div class="clearfix _5x46">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">I posted this on Facebook last week but wanted to leave it here as well. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Emerson’s school choir performed a selection of songs from their Christmas program at a retirement facility yesterday afternoon. When we walked inside the director asked us if the choir was performing in the Memory Care community or in the Assisted Living. I was unsure and was silently praying that we were not headed to Memory Care. I didn't think my heart could take being in a place like the one my mom lived. A place, though beautifully appointed, is where one’s memories are<span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show"> entrusted to people who never knew them. And while I was lost in thought I heard her tell us that indeed we were headed to Memory Care and to please come with her. I straightened up and followed obediently with Emerson and the other eager children. And then I got the most surprising and delightful gift I never knew I wanted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> With a wide grin and outstretched hands she came toward me as though we were dear friends. Her black sweater was on inside out and runaway white hairs fanned across her shoulders and sleeves. Her hair, though slicked back in a wide headband, was neither washed or styled. Yet she exuded an undeniable beauty. She clasped my hands in hers and said excitedly, “The children, they’re all so precious. Every single one!” I agreed that indeed they are. I kept my eye on her throughout the program and saw that she beamed with jubilation and kept her hands clasped before her as though she could not contain her delight. After it was over I went up to her and she grabbed my hand again and said, “Every one of them –a gift.” I told her that she was a light and was so full of joy. She looked directly at me and said, “Well, of course.” This woman may have no idea who she once was or what her life was once about, but today she knows this: she is a person of joy. To her it appeared to be the obvious and only choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> And just like that, I received my first Christmas gift of the season, one that I feel sure my mom was a part of. This beautiful soul with Christmas in her heart lit the kindling within me and set ablaze my gratitude for this moment, this season, this life in which joy is always possible when I choose to embrace it.</span></div>
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melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-1972591416224357862015-12-08T21:55:00.000-06:002015-12-09T21:03:14.542-06:00Proud Mary <i>I wrote this post two years ago about Ainsley's role in her preschool Christmas pageant. It remains one of my favorite narratives about trusting the playwright and walking bravely in the role we've been assigned.</i><br />
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Our Ainsley was selected to play the part of Mary in her little
school's Christmas pageant this season. I wish I could say that as they
searched the class over they could find none more blessed among women
than her. Instead, I'm pretty sure she was cast for the role because the costume fit her the best. In any case, a proud Mary she was.<br />
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In
truth she didn't really feel especially blessed to have been given this
role. On the way out of school the day she'd been given the big
casting news (albeit not as big as the first Mary's announcement) she
was decidedly unenthused. With a sigh she said, "Well, I'd rather be the
donkey because he gets to sit down during the pageant." Of course. Why
pick the blessing of all generations when you can be a jackass? Is there
really a contest? Mock though I do, I've felt the same way more times
than I care to recall.<br />
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There have been times when the
role I've been assigned in the story of my life was one I wouldn't have
chosen first. And I'm sure that's because I knew it would require me to
stand. To truly stand firm on the foundation of my faith in a sovereign
God even when the road ahead looked terribly treacherous and scary.
Botched plans and real heartache looked imminent and had I been given
the choice, I would have much rather taken the role where I got to sit
down. To sit it out. To leave hope on the floor and not risk the pain or
embarrassment if things didn't go according to the plan or role I'd
dreamed up for myself. But somewhere along the way I realized that it's
not up to me to stand upright all the while---that there's Someone who
will steady my shoulders and get me up and over the steepest hills and
through deepest caverns and I'll be the better for it.<br />
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And
when the scene changes, God raises my hand above my head for me, still
gloved and wet from the fight, declaring me victorious. Fight well
fought! Struggle overcome. And we both know that I fell more than once.
That had I not leaned on Him I'd have sunk to a place I couldn't have
escaped without His help. But together we got through. Moved ahead.
Overcame. That's the good stuff. The stuff worth standing up for (no
matter how tiring) and taking the role chin up. If I'm sitting the whole
time (with the other donkeys), besides being decidedly smelly, there's
just nothing happening down there. Nothing to be learned or gained.
Nothing to make me better.<br />
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I'm not sure that Ainsley
got such a life changing lesson out of her part in the play, but she did
come out the wiser for it. Just last night she pulled out these little
finger puppets and proceeded to enact this simple play:<br />
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Mary:<i>(As the angel hops up next to her)</i> Ahhh! <i>Shrieks in horror.</i><br />
Angel: Don't be afraid. I bring you special news!<br />
Mary: What?<br />
Angel: You will have a baby and will name him Jesus.<br />
Mary: Can I name him Bob?<br />
Angel: No, Jesus.<br />
Mary: Bob! <i>(in a shout)</i><br />
Angel: Jesus! <i>(also a shout)</i><br />
Mary: Bob!<br />
<i>Enter the alligator puppet,</i><br />
Mary: Ahhh! <i>Shrieks in horror.</i><br />
Angel: Mary, I told you not to be afraid.<br />
Mary: I know, I know but don't you see there's an alligator right there?! <br />
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I
realize that most modern translations of the Bible don't carry the
account of the foreboding alligator entering the scene in
Nazareth. Or of Mary and Gabriel arguing that the coming Messiah's name
should be Bob, but it's a version I can appreciate all the same.<br />
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I
really love this story. Mary believed. Sure, there was that moment that she did begin to
freak out when an angel appeared to her teen-aged virgin self and told
her she'd give birth to God, as one might expect, but she still trusted him
very quickly. She bravely said she would do as the Lord desired no
matter the great personal cost she would pay. <br />
<br />
Then the
alligators came. She found herself riding a donkey while nine months
pregnant for weeks on end only to wind up in a stinky barn to give birth
with nary a doula or epidural in sight. For the love. But it got worse. People
wanted to hurt her son. To kill him, even. And she might have felt
compelled to remind God that trust is a wee more challenging when a
horrendous death was prepared for her beloved child. Of course I trust
you but don't you see the alligator that's <i>right</i> there?!<br />
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How many times am I just like this? I <i>say</i> that I trust God. I <i>mean</i>
that I trust God. Yet when the big alligator challenges come on the scene, I feel it's urgent that I check to see if God's aware
that new characters have emerged and they look pretty awful. That things
do look ominous and is He aware of that tail slapping the water like
crazy and has He seen those fang teeth? <br />
<br />
The thing is,
of course, He already knows the alligator is there. And where He sits on
heaven's throne the alligator is 1/100th the size of a grain of sand.
(Probably smaller but math's never been my strong suit.) And He knows
when it's going to leave me alone and how much stronger I'm going to be
for having braved my time in the cold water with the predator swimming all around
me. How much less afraid I'll be of smaller prey and schemes the next
time around. How I'll be reminded of His protection, His care, His
ability to swat my fears away like so much rippling water. How that
alligator couldn't have even yawned its mouth open unless God allowed
it. He's the dearest and most compassionate playwright and the role He
has for each of us is so good. Maybe not always easy but always good.<br />
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Oh, how He loves us and cares for our every need without any reminders from us.<br />
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<i>Ainsley, blessed among women then and now.</i></div>
melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-88749988568808639082015-12-03T11:06:00.000-06:002015-12-03T12:20:23.108-06:00Well, What did you Expect?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before we roll full-speed into December, I have to take a moment to give thanks for our sweet season of Thanksgiving. Oh, November, you were such a favorite. I love this time of year and the nearly universal focus on gratitude. Thanks to beautifully fashioned quotes on Pinterest, and gratitude journals, being thankful is trendy now, and that's a great thing! I wrote about <b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://theglorioustable.com/2015/11/why-i-dont-tell-facebook-what-im-thankful-for/" target="_blank">Why I Don't Tell Facebook What I'm Thankful For</a>,</span></b> but I am all about being thankful for this life and this season. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">At the same time, holidays are multi-layered for me, as I'm sure they are for many others. I have Hallmark movie inspired visions and expectations of how they will play out. A toasty brown turkey cooking in the oven while home baked pies cool on the counter. A beautifully decorated home full of people I love serenaded by a fantastic soundtrack. But the reality of the holidays often looks much different from the dream in my mind's eye, and you know what? Sometimes the real thing is way better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A week before Thanksgiving, as I was tucking Ainsley into bed, she asked me when her cousins were arriving. What she didn't yet know was that there was no plan for them to come this year, they drove all the way from Orlando last year and this year they were headed to my dad's in Illinois. When I told her they weren't coming, her eyes brimmed with wet tears and she said, "I've had six Thanksgivings and my cousins have been with me for three of them." Pensive and darling child that she is, she went on to ask, "How can we have a <i>giant </i>feast and celebration when there are only four of us?" It made no sense in her little seven year old mind, and I admit to pondering the same thing more than once. I too couldn't imagine how a big festive holiday celebration could happen if there wasn't a big gathering of people to go with it. Such are the musings of a girl with loved ones and family scattered in multiple states across the country. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Emerson surely would also have preferred a house bustling with people too, but true to her character, she brought her best self for our holiday foursome. She decorated and planned as though we were set to host the masses. She and Ainsley wrote a script for a Thanksgiving play, a tradition they have enjoyed with their cousins since Ainsley was a babe. But this time, with just the two of them, Em gladly took on the challenge to write a story featuring just two characters: a pilgrim and a turkey. And indeed it was a darling tale of a bird who couldn't understand why she was being hunted by her pilgrim friend. At long last, the pilgrim decided to spare the turkey and invite her to join the other pilgrims for a Thanksgiving feast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> And somehow the holiday stars aligned and all of the dishes I prepared come out in harmonious synchronicity. Sure, the rolls got a little <strike>over-browned</strike> burned to a crisp on the bottom (which I promptly sliced off), and the cranberry sauce boiled over into charred and smoking ruby crystals (but the rest was so yum), the truth is, even still, everything turned out beautifully. And not just the feast, but those who gathered around our table.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We sat where we sit each night for dinner with the same four people that make up our family, and yet it felt, different. It felt festive, special, celebratory. Ainsley had set the table so that everyone had a turkey place mat and place card.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Emerson had collected Thanksgiving trivia questions and quizzed us as we ate our feast, which was giant indeed! Ainsley passed a box of Thanksgiving gratitude prompts that made my heart melt into a puddle. They had done it. They had brought as much cheer and celebration into our home as a bustling crowd ever could have. Maybe more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we sat around the table my heart was overfilled with thanks. Goodness, these people light up my whole world and have brought such beauty to me. I sat there bowled-over with peace in my heart. Peace in seeing that we are a unit, a force, a team. Everyone of us brings something different to the group and together we are better, stronger, fuller. Our little tribe still loves the opportunities to host gatherings and join them as well, but I have learned that there is something beautifully sacred about celebrating with just the tight knit bundle that we are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So for me the best part of the holiday was the lesson I learned about expectations. My friend Johnny used to define stress as unmet expectations. I have found this to be so very true. We're stressed because we didn't expect their to be so much traffic and now we're going to be late. We're stressed because we thought the package we ordered would have been delivered today and now we're left without the item we needed. Or, we're stressed and sad because we expected to celebrate holidays with a house full of extended family and friends, but here we are, just our little group. Well, it's time for me to put those expectations in check. Some of the most fun I've had is in taking winding detours because of unexpected traffic. Opportunities for me to receive grace from others has abounded when things I had planned for and expected didn't pan out. And maybe my favorite prize of from the gift of unmet expectations has come on holidays. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The notions of how things are "supposed to be" don't leave much room for the magic that comes with the surprise of finding my children spinning beauty out of thin air. All of those dreams of the "big fun" I'll have with lots of other people don't leave room for the sacred essence that is this nestling in close with this family that I dreamed and prayed about for years before they came to me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes things really do go better than we could have hoped, once we bravely lay down the ideas of how we think things should go. </span><br />
<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-60147922704867657422015-11-18T13:56:00.001-06:002015-11-27T20:38:35.342-06:00On Birthdays and Celebrating<span style="font-size: large;">I was tucking the girls into bed the other night when Ainsley said she was almost too excited to sleep. She asked if I thought I would be able to get any sleep at all. Because, you see, the next day was my birthday. Remember birthdays as a kid? We'd mark off the days on the calendar and countdown for months before the big day. Party plans and wish lists were in place well before the expected month rolled onto the calendar let alone the week. Wishes were made well before the candles were lit and when the day finally came, it was time to celebrate BIG! But as we get older, our birthdays are not quite as eagerly anticipated anymore. When they arrive the alarm still rattles off so very early in the morning and the to-do list doesn't take a holiday. Oh, and gravity doesn't stop either. We begin to feel a little childish to clap our hands and say to anyone listening, "It's my birthday," with our greying hair and crease lined foreheads. But it is a day to be celebrated irrespective of age, or maybe because of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You guys. I turned 48. That means in two years I will be 50 years old. My AARP card will come in the mail and I'll be eligible for senior discounts for dinner before 5:00p.m. That used to mean you were so old--- a half a century, {for the love of Willard Scott}. But now I know better. Being old has nothing to do with the number of years you've walked the green earth. Age is in the heart. I know people 20 years younger than I am who are old in their spirit. I also know people 20 years older than I am who have an enviable skip in their step that I long to emulate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's a funny thing this aging. We're told to fight it, resist it, and lie about it. Youth serums and age-defying potions fly off of the shelves (and a few into my medicine cabinet), but maybe aging well is more about embracing our age rather than battling it. Since I don't know how many birthdays I'll get to have, I intend to celebrate each one well and good. I keep getting an unwelcome refresher course in the brevity of life lesson, and I got the message: It's so quick, this life. I don't plan to spend any of it begrudging how many years I have had the good fortune to be around for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My girls surely captured the idea of celebrating and could hardly contain their excitement and anticipation for my day. They had been crossing off the days on their calendar even if I was not. Ainsley wanted to know what theme I wanted for my party because every party has a theme, right? Love seemed the obvious choice since that is what I celebrate. They ran with it and covered the made-from-scratch cookie cake with hearts and sentiments of love without end. It was a hilly terrain of smudgy brown, white, pink, and red frosting hills, and it was perfection. I was told that the four figures inside the goopy heart were meant to represent our little family. Divine. Oh, to be loved, to be celebrated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We sat around the dinner table where their dad and I drank wine and ate salad and deep dish pizza (God bless hot carbs!) and my heart took flight. I thought I might burst with love and gratitude for the people around that table. On so many birthdays before, I wished for this very thing--a family of my own. And there around the table sat my wishes come true. My whole world. My whole heart. The theme of love was prevalent both in the mountainous frosting and in my heart. Gracious, I am so fortunate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here's to love and aging well. </span><br />
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Another upside to getting older is that you care a lot less about how you look taking a selfie in your car. <br />
<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-10267296692115313322015-11-12T19:17:00.001-06:002015-11-19T07:45:18.367-06:00Why I Don't tell Facebook What I'm Thankful For <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm over at <a href="http://theglorioustable.com/2015/11/why-i-dont-tell-facebook-what-im-thankful-for/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">The Glorious Table </span></b> </a>today. Stop over and see why you won't find any 30 Days of Gratitude Posts from me on Facebook.</span><br />
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<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-28775278181174649942015-11-08T19:14:00.000-06:002015-11-09T08:57:02.939-06:00Lessons Learned from the Gleeful Greeter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">So Ainsley applied for a job at school. Apparently it's not enough to be in class for seven hours: her day must also include a vocation in the first grade. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Catty comments aside, I do like the idea of everyone having their own job in school. I like that it offers each student something in which to take pride aside from their schoolwork. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each child was asked to select from a list of potential roles and rank them in order of preference. There must have five or so choices on the list, but there really was only one that appealed to Ainsley: Able Ambassador. The ambassador accompanies new students and their parents on tours of the school and assists new students once they are enrolled. On her application, Ainsley added that what set her apart from other candidates was that she knew where everything was in the building and was friendly. Seemed true enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Need the restroom?" Right this way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"A trip to the nurses station?" Gotcha covered!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Looking for the gym?" Follow me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Any </span><span style="font-size: large;">leadership role within a small group is Ainsley's song. Her second, and admittedly reluctant choice, was that of Gleeful Greeter. The greeters stand at one of the school's entrances or just inside the building by the staircase. Their job is to greet students as they come in each morning and wish them a good day. Not as exciting as the Ambassador's role, but valuable all the same. Ainsley wasn't terribly excited when she learned all of the ambassadors slots were filled and a Gleeful Greeter she would be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">She attended a brief training in which the teacher told the team that their task was simple, "To cheerfully greet students and wish them well." She went on to tell them that their welcome was to remain unchanged irrespective of anyone's reactions (or lack thereof) to their friendly salutations. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: large;">If no one said good morning in return, they were to carry on. If someone dissed their attempt to offer a high five or hand-shake, keep it up. In other words, they were to continue to greet everyone cheerfully even if not a single soul said Good Morning in return or extended any kindness to them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> After this training, Ainsley was up for the challenge and excited to give it a go.What a life lesson this turned out to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">She came home after her first day and said she kindly greeted more than 150 kids that morning. Some happily returned a kind greeting, while others ignored her altogether. But she was unmoved. She talked about how fun it was to cheerfully welcome so many of her classmates into the their day. Such a sweet and tangible example of how good it feels to brighten someone's day whether or not it's reciprocated. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I love the lesson for us all: You are lovely and kind. Be that. <i>Keep</i> being that no matter how anyone responds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Isn't that it? If we let someone's dismissal (being ignored) or someone's attitude (dismissing us) cause us to turn our light off, to leave the kindness behind, everyone misses out. People in our circle miss the encouragement and warmth of a friendly greeting, but the bigger loss is that <i>we </i>miss out on the joy that comes from extending the best of ourselves to others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the days in which I have intentionally sought to share kindness, the results were unmistakable. I saw people's shoulders relax, their face soften. It's as if those kind words were exactly what they needed in that moment. All I did was note something lovely that I saw in them and speak of it. Have I changed lives? Maybe not, but I have changed moments. Encounters that could have been routine became moments of encouragement and light for someone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The world needs more Gleeful Greeters, turns out, and I'm all in. </span><br />
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<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-60494041439707264292015-11-02T10:15:00.000-06:002015-11-02T14:52:30.078-06:00Happy Hearted Homecoming <span style="font-size: large;">So we were in Illinois last weekend. It was such a treat for me to bring my little family back to the home of my youth. My dad still lives in the house they bought the very month that I was born. My walk through the front door brought a flood of nostalgia as I entered the place where so much love and laughter was poured over me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since we landed in Chicago in the late evening and drove down from there, we didn't arrive until midnight. But my dad was up and waiting just as he and my mom used to be when I walked in at about that time so many times before. But this time I hadn't just come from Gully's or Doyle's and smelled only of soap and Goldfish crackers rather than stale beer and nachos. This time I didn't come in alone. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">In front of me walked my dear husband hand-in-hand with a sleep-walking girl of only ten. In my arms </span>I carried a sleeping little darling only seven years of age. My people in my home, oh the fullness of my heart. Yet my mom wasn't there to greet me as she had been every other time, but I sensed her nearness all the same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The girls slept in the room that had been mine where this plaque remains firmly attached to the door. I still remember how thrilled I was to find it since rare are the miniature license plates, key chains, or just about anything with my name on them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a sweet sleep we visited a reindeer ranch, apple orchard, and the girls raked just about every fallen leaf they could find in the spacious front yard. Another reason to miss autumn for the built in playground it provides.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Saturday we all went to the Homecoming game at my alma mater the University of Illinois. I cannot explain my sheer delight in finding October there. The crunching leaves beneath my feet, the gorgeous spray of color in the trees, the crispness in the air. Home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Showing my girls a bit of the glory that is college pre-game tailgating made my heart soar. At one point as we walked through the sea of happy co-eds, Emerson turned to me and said, "<i>This </i>is where you went to college?" and I was so proud to tell her yes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had so much fun with my dad at the game in sweatshirts and closed toed shoes. Emie's even wearing a knit hat! Oh, autumn, I've missed you! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most fun of the weekend was reconnecting with family and sharing my girls with some of my mom's dearest friends. These women knew me when I was the age my girls are now. They see <i>me </i>in them and say the things my mom would say if she were here. How much Ainsley looks just like me and how Emerson's demeanor is so like mine. They speak of what dear girls they are and how polite and well behaved. My mom's essence is ever near in the presence of her friends and what a gift they are to me. I regret not getting a picture with each of them but their faces are forever etched in my heart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So though my mom wasn't there to greet us when we arrived, she most assuredly was there. Her essence, her love, her encouragement was everywhere I turned. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This chalkboard has hung by the home's backdoor for as long as I can remember. I know we kids tried to erase it more than once but I'm so glad we never succeeded. This encouraging decree in my mom's consistent cursive remains to this very day. I love it now more than ever. I can hear her urging me on to savor the moments and know she would want all of our days to be great. I know she's front and center in the great cloud of witnesses in heaven cheering us on. I don't know how many days I will have or what they will hold, but I can promise to appreciate what is great about today and will savor the present moment. Thanks, mom for that and so many other things. </span><br />
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<br />melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021544312324906881.post-9896016492718998302015-10-29T10:42:00.002-05:002015-10-29T10:55:35.672-05:00Who You Are When No One's Looking: The Epilogue<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy day here since Ainsley was awarded the school's Character Award for her grade. Awards and recognition aren't what make me crazy about this girl, but I'm so happy that she was honored. She wanted this bad last year which made today all the sweeter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the post from June that tells the sweet story of the power in celebrating the success in others.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.melindamattson.com/2015/06/who-yoyu-are-when-no-ones-looking.html#.VjJBLStHM4c" target="_blank">Who You Are When No One is Looking</a> </span></u>melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14230019838685066353noreply@blogger.com0