Rocky and Rachel Raccoon

Pre-dogs in our family, we had two raccoons that would come up on our porch each evening, after the outside lights were out and we were in bed. We discovered it one night when my husband and I were awakened to a very loud noise outside; we came downstairs, went all around the inside of the house and found nothing. Then we heard it again; we went outside, and looked all around. We have a large metal trash can on the porch where we used to keep animal food. Upon lifting the wooden top my husband had built and hinged to the can, we saw a precious raccoon down inside the can. He had gotten in and could not get out! We left the top open, came inside and let him climb out! I was in love with the beautiful little creature! We began watching every night and would see them come up on the porch and sniff around, looking for some type of tasty morsel. Usually our girls were in bed and asleep by this time (our son had not been born yet). We began opening the window beside our recliner that goes to the floor and would hold our hand out, palm up and flat with an Oreo cooking on it. Over time they would get closer and closer, wanting so badly to retrieve the Oreo, but being skeptical of our intents. I insisted we wake the girls up and let them come and at least watch, if not participate. So we began waking them up and bringing them downstairs to observe, telling them they had to be still and quiet (which was not that difficult since we usually awakened them out of a deep sleep). After a few nights of the raccoons retrieving the Oreos out of our hand and coming back for "seconds", our girls decided they needed to be named. So, "Rocky" and "Rachel" became a part of our nighttime ritual for a short while....until we got a dog....and the rest, as they say, is history! Sweet, sweet memories!

Does God "need" me?

First of all, thank-you SO MUCH, Lynnette, for featuring me as a blogger through your site! What an honor and priveledge...and so much fun meeting fellow sojourners through the blogging community! Many thanks, also, to those of you who visited my site, and I hope you will check back often. I don't necessarily blog every day (though that's my goal) but I hope to be more consistent as time goes on. So please do check back, and leave me a link back to your site, as well, please, so I can return the favor!

I was just thinking today as I have been preparing for my ladies group tomorrow (we are studying Beth Moore's "Esther")that, even though I have a Masters of Education degree, I have no real idea what I'm doing in leading the ladies in my group. Truth is, I am not really the 'leader'; I am a facilitator. We all lead one another! As I was thinking about that, it hit me again that all God really needs is my AVAILABILITY, not my ABILITY! If I make myself available to serve the Lord in whatever way(s) He calls me, HE will provide the ABILITY, even when I it seems I have no real gifting in that area. Remember when God told Moses to speak to Pharoah, and to tell him to let His people go? Moses argued that he was not eloquent enough ~ that he could not speak to Pharoah. Yet, when Moses decided to just be AVAILABLE to his Lord, it was amazing what God did. God doesn't NEED us ~ we NEED God! The precious reality, however, is that God WANTS intimacy with us, no matter our past or present...no matter what we will or won't do in the future, He loves us still and in spite of and wants to be our 'husband'! Oh, how He loves you and me! Does that make you want to look up in wonder and awe and simply say, "Holy, holy, holy, are you Lord God Almighty!" AMEN!

"Walk a Mile in My shoes..."

I have been studying with one of my community groups a book by Max Lucado entitled "He Chose The Nails"! Loving Lucado's writing style anyway, this book has had a prof0und effect on me, particularly in this season leading up to the celebration of His death and resurrection! As a group leader, and being somewhat artsy, with my husbands help, I made these replicas of the symbol of the front of the book to hand out to class members, asking them to hold it in the palm of one hand, pointed tip down into the pal, other fingers over the top, and press until the could not take the pain during the entire 2 hours of class! Today, in a quiet moment, the song "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked" came to my mind out of nowhere! Last evening, in another community group, we watched "The Passion of the Christ!" Nothing else needs to be said about that (other than, if you have not seen it, you absolutely MUST!)In that quiet moment of pondering the impact of the film, even after seeing it for the second time last evening, I was consumed with an absolute feeling of self-disgust and shame that I--Lisa, "Lolli"--I, in my sometimes subtle, oft times obvious, sin, nailed Him to that cross! I beat Him to near death with the whip of my words; I shoved the crown of thorns deep into his flesh with my hateful, vengeful, lustful, jealous thoughts over many years! How in the world could I do that to my SAVIOR, my LORD, my REDEEMER, the LOVER OF MY SOUL, my JESUS! And how, in spite of all of that, could he still love the wretched me that I am? I don't know, I cannot comprehend or pretend to understand! But how incredibly grateful I am that He does! I stand in awe of His Godliness, His Holiness, His Grace, His Mercy, His forgiveness and, above all else, His Love for Lisa ("Lolli") who "once was blind, but now I see! Hallelujah! What a man! What a Savior!

Wednesday's Walk down Memory Lane: Daddy's hands...

Daddy’s hands….

There’s a country song called “Daddy’s Hands” (read words here). My Daddy did not have a job requiring physical labor to cause calluses; he was an accountant and VP Finance for a large corporation for many years. He played golf and tennis and loved to watch sports on TV. When the chorus refers to Daddy’s hands being “soft when I was crying…and hard as steel when I’d done wrong; Daddy’s hands weren’t always gentle but I’ve come to understand that there was ALWAYS love in Daddy’s hands”…I think of my Daddy. Daddy was an alcoholic, but not a mean one, at least to his children. He could cut to the core of my Mom’s heart, but he loved her and he loved us so well, and we all knew it. He simply had a disease that I believe robbed him for years of a lot of joy. Yet, in spite of it all, I have such fond memories of my Daddy. For example, every year from the time I was not quite a year old, he took us on nice family vacations. We visited places like: Acapulco, Mexico for several years; Jamaica; several nice places in Florida; and always we stayed in extremely nice accommodations, like villas with our own private pool and a full paid staff to wait on us hand and foot! He would get in the pool, go under, allow me to get on his shoulders; then he would stand up out of the water and let me jump or dive off! He would also do the “Nestea plunge” (like this—without the glass) at least once each vacation for our enjoyment; he would work the annual vacation jigsaw puzzle with us and swear from the beginning “there has to be a piece missing”; he would unexpectedly pat me, my siblings or most especially the grandchildren on the bottom as we walked by and say, “Personal kings X’, which meant, “I got you and you can’t get rid of it, nor can you do it back to me!”; he made sure ALL our needs were provided for and most of our wants (people used to say we were spoiled—I just say we were loved a lot!); he gave nice gifts to his family at Christmas and birthdays (my Mom picked most of them out, but when it came to nice jewelry, Daddy usually chose those, and always purchased my mother exquisite clothing and very nice lingerie each year for Christmas and/or birthday, usually along with a fabulous piece of jewelry!); oh, my Daddy loved us well. Yet, he was a stern disciplinarian! He did not put up with any “lip’ out of any of us to him or my Mom. Whether drinking or sober, he let us know quickly if we had crossed the line with either one of them with our comments, and made sure we knew it would not be tolerated! Even to this day I know that, were he still here and could hear the way children speak at times to or about their parents, I cringe knowing that he would not put up with it from me, even as an older adult. He would not hesitate telling me I was being inappropriate, dishonorable, or whatever the case may be and that he would not have it in his house! I so admire him for that! Though not without his vices and weaknesses, he was a wonderful Daddy, and if I could I would have him back here right now. Not really, as I know that, even though he became a Christian later in life (in his 40’s) he is dancing and rejoicing around the throne of our Lord and Savior, whole and healed. And I know one day I WILL see him again, hug his neck and remind him how much I love him! If you still have your Daddy, pick up the phone right now and call him to tell him how much you love him, and how much he has meant to you over the years. Once he’s gone, you won’t be able to express that! Have a fabulously blessed day! ~Lisa

Shoe Fettish!

Ok, ladies, now I must make a confession: I have a shoe obsession! (Poet and don't know it! Rhyme all the time!) I LOVE shoes of all types, colors, and all fits. Acc..according to my Mom I have a "one size fits all" foot ~ meaning: if I like a shoe and they have a size around my normal size of 7 (so that can range from about a 5.5 to about an 8) I will make it work! Seriously! I love shoes that much! Just so happens in the past few years I have stopped dressing up so much, so I have way fewer pair of shoes! BUT....doesn't still mean i don't love 'em. My husband tells people he will have to have a separate casket to bury my shoes in (guess he thinks I'm going to go first!) I know God does not want me to have to wear the same pair of shoes everyday in heaven. I mean, most of the time I'll likely be like I am now: shoeless! LOVE going barefoot! But I do like choices for those occasions where I need to wear shoes! Can't help it! Just love 'em....what about you? Got any fetishes you'd be willing to share with us?

Getting to know you!

I gotta tell ya'...I just love Lynnette Kraft and her blog! She is an amazing Christian wife and mother who has walked through the valley of loss like no other I know. Yet God, in His infinite mercy, love and grace, has made an unbelievably strong warrior princess out of her! I have never met her in person; yet, i feel like she's my sister. Well, she really IS my sister...we are sisters in Christ! Another absolutely incredible thought! What an amazing God we serve! She is also extremely creative and gifted, and comes up with the most fabulous ideas. So, this "getting to know you" idea of hers for those of us blogging (or in my case just getting started "attempting" to blog) is fabulous! It will allow us to visit some of the best blogs out there; it will draw some visitors to each of our sites, and draw us together as a community of like-minded people. So, all you have to do is go to her site by clicking on the button on my side bar ("Getting to Know You!"); when you get to her link, comment on her post by putting a summary of your blog type, a list of your 5 favorite blogs (please note her exceptions in her instructions), then copy and paste the link for the "Getting to Know You" button and insert it into your blog site; then write a blog informing your readers of your participation and the invitation for them to join, as well. Every Monday Lynette will feature a couple of different sites on her blog, bringing readers to those sites. A sweet gift from her to us! Thanks, Lynnette! Now, sit back, relax (after you are done with this assignment) and enjoy the blog links and visitors to your site when your time comes! Blessings on this coming week to each of you! Lisa (aka "Lolli")

"No ice, please....."

Have you ever noticed that when you order a drink anywhere, you mostly get a glass of ice and little bit of liquid? Kinda makes me mad, so now I order my drinks with “no ice”, especially at fast food restaurants. Most of the time, it comes out of the machine cold, so that’s good. PLUS….the ice won’t melt and water it down…PLUS I can always add ice at home…PLUS if I get more drink and still want ice, I can pour some in another cup and have a second drink for later, then add my own ice! THEN I feel like I’m getting what I paid for! Just sayin’….

Your thoughts or any little quirks like that you have ?