Photo of the Day...8/3/12..."Coin"

Who doesn't love to find a penny?  I'm just sayin'.

Photo of the Day...8/2/12..."One"

So, today's prompt to get the creative juices going in the Photo of the Day challenge is the word "One".  I considered different places where the number 1 is found...a die...a dollar bill...humming "One" by U2 throughout the process.  Then it struck me...the first verse from the first chapter of the first book of the Bible about the first thing to ever happen...Genesis 1:1..."In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Yep...that should totally qualify.

Photo of the Day...8/1/12..."Outside"

Taken from a lounge chair at the Atlas Valley Country Club pool...beautiful day...beautiful sounds of kids playing...beautiful friends.

Update 8/1/12:  I was considering this photo today and why it was representative of "outside".  I realized that while you can take most items, usually found outside, indoors...you can't take the sky and it's inhabitants indoors.  I don't care if you are Disney or a Vegas mega-resort...you will never top the original.

Photo of the Day Challenge

Sometime last month, my sister (you can visit her over at A Minute with Falula) challenged me to participate in the "Photo of the Day" challenge found here for the month of August.  Really?!  I tried doing something on my own at the start of 2012 like this, but with no one bossing me around (i.e. providing suggestional prompts) I ran out of gas.  I don't promise to post everyday but I certainly promise to get a photo each day to post...when I get around to it.

And please don't make fun of my hair...that's after hanging out in a lounge chair next to the pool today...looking for the perfect "outside" shot.

Here's the list for August...

My Good News

"Hi, Tracey...this is Martha.  The results from your biopsy are in and they are negative." As I hung up the phone, standing in the middle of our family vacation on a northern beach of Michigan's lower peninsula, I gave thanks.  I pray often that God use me mightily for His glory...not a prayer I say lightly or fearlessly.  When I had learned of the need for the biopsy, 10 days earlier, I spent some considerable time leaning on God, trusting His plan for me...praying for His will to be done and He be glorified throughout...praying for my family...and praying about potential decisions to come.  After receiving the results, I have to admit that I heaved a sigh of relief.

Each morning of our vacation, my husband and I spent some quiet time along the beach...reading, waiting for the world (and our kids) to wake up.  The day following the phone call, I returned to my prayers of thanks.  Then I was suddenly jarred in my gated community of self-absorption.  While I received good news,  someone else's wife, mom, grandmother, sister or daughter was receiving different news.  I wondered about the lady that I saw exit just before my appointment, having undergone the same procedure.  What news did her phone call convey?  I was humbled by the undeserved mercy...mercy that I did not have to take on such a big battle...at least not at this time with three daughters to raise.  But somewhere else, someone else was facing the battle.  And they didn't "deserve" such a diagnosis any more than I deserved freedom from the same diagnosis.  I prayed for them...for God's will to be done and He be glorified throughout...for their family as they face the mountain together, continuously adjusting to new "normals"...for the decisions she would have to make about her body.  And it really drove home the meaning of the famous quote, "There but for the grace of God, go I".

What good news have you received lately?  Perhaps, given this economy, you were able to keep your job while the desk next to yours was emptied of family pictures and Subway coupons.  Perhaps the mechanic called you with good news about only a minor repair being needed, while another customer was in for a financial shock.  Perhaps you've been blessed with another positive pregnancy test while a husband and wife grieve another childless month passing.  We should all remember that every car that passes and every house on our streets contain unique stories...stories with happy chapters...and with tragic chapters.  No one is immune from heartbreak or guaranteed good fortune.  Be thankful when things seem to be going your way...be thankful when the road seems to have gotten rocky because God can use it for good (as conveyed by Romans 8:28)...be empathetic when seeing others struggle...and avoid envy when seeing others enjoying  victories.  We are all sinners...each deserving of all of life's troubles and undeserving of its mercies.  

Ten Years Ago Today...

Ten years ago today, I got up early in the morning and spent some quality time on the treadmill, as my two toddlers slept upstairs.

Ten years ago today, I was scheduled to teach one of our preschool classes at our homeschool co-op.

Ten years ago today, I dropped the two year old off at my parents' house and picked up a friend's preschooler for the day's class.

Ten years ago today, I was getting materials together for the class I was to teach.

Ten years ago today, I bent down to grab some items and lost my breath.

Ten years ago today, I couldn't get my breath back.

Ten years ago today, a friend, with a critical care nursing background, checked my pulse and recommended that I be taken to the emergency room.

Ten years ago today, another friend volunteered to drive me to the hospital.

Ten years ago today, they checked my oxygen levels in the admitting area of the emergency room and took me back immediately.

Ten years ago today, as x-rays were taken and I was given breathing treatments,  I fully expected to go home that afternoon.

Ten years ago today, they discovered three blood clots in my left lung and immediately restricted me from any movement out of fear that one could dislodge, possibly being fatal.

Ten years ago today, while I had known I was married to a great guy, the curtain was completely pulled back to reveal the superhero that I call mine.

Ten years ago today, I learned how truly blessed we are by the many family members and friends in our life.

Ten years ago today, God's hand of protection was over me, preventing any trouble until I was amidst those that could help me and care for my children.

Ten years ago today, God showed me that I don't have the final say over plans for my life.

Ten years ago today, my relationship with Jesus matured...moving beyond one in which I only invested time into it when it was convenient, like a casual friendship... to one where I fully rely on Him.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the last ten years and the years to come.

Example

As my 11 year old daughter wrapped up her fourth and final year with the Upward cheerleading program at a local church, I was reminded of the importance of example.  Through the weeks of practice and performance, Rachael found herself assigned the spot that was front and center of the entire squad.  From this position, she only had one person that was in her line of vision...the head coach who had choreographed the routines and performed them the best.  Rachael couldn't see the younger members who may have been struggling to keep pace or the girls who may not have been giving their best effort, thus preventing Rachael from developing any excuse for cutting her own efforts some slack.  She could only see the best in the room.  The result?  At the last practice and performance, wanting to see what the spectators saw when they watched the squad perform their halftime dance, the coaches told the girls that they weren't going to dance with them.  But, if they got lost in the routine, to look to Rachael because she knew it.

I once heard a speaker say that example is not the main thing, it's the only thing.  And this recent experience gave me reason to pause and audit the list of those that I allow to influence and teach me in my various roles of a woman of faith, a wife, a mom, a teacher, a leader, a friend.  Who is in my line of vision as I practice and perform?  I am blessed by the people that God has placed in my life.  I am surrounded by wonderful examples in my family, friends, church and homeschool community.  But I also have to watch my influences when I'm not learning in the shadows of these people...what am I watching, what am I reading, who am I listening to?  Do I invite in any examples that allow me to lower my standards for myself (i.e. "well, at least I'm not that bad compared to...")? And, as I raise three young ladies, what example am I providing?  I'm certainly not perfect in all that I do, but what am I teaching in my response to those moments, too?

I'm so grateful for Rachael's experience.  It taught her to always seek the best when learning something new.  She also learned that she will be called upon to be an example and leader.  I'm also grateful for the refresher course it has provided me on the importance of example.  My hope and prayer is that I can always be mindful of whom I am watching to learn the "routine" of my roles...and that my daughters, and anyone else who has me in their line of vision, can look to me when they forget the next move in the performance, because I know it.