Monthly Archives: January 2012

UFO #3 – Learning to be quiet

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I am finding, despite what I believed when I was younger, that I enjoy solitude.  I really enjoy my quiet time. I find that when I use that alone time, I am able to think and create.  Now that the snow has started to fly in Minnesota, I find fewer and fewer errands that I wish to do.  So as you will see, I have decided to just spend my home days crafting. 

No, I did not get a free genie who does all the housecleaning, laundry, animal care, meal planning,  . . . I think you get the idea.  What I did get was a change of attitude.  I am giving myself reason (excuse, permission, etc) to slow down.  There are days that I feel like I do nothing but run from one activity to another.  Making this commitment to completing UFO’s is becoming two-fold.  It is a reason to save money (by not buying entertainment – craft supplis) and to force me to slow down. 

I must come by it naturally, because my Mama Cloie always says, she “needs something to keep her hands busy to keep her mind energized.”  But instead of keeping my mind busy, I am able to slow my racing thoughts.  Instead of always trying to keep up, I am just present – in that moment. 

It seems to me there is too much noise and distraction in our world.  If I am right in that assumption, then how will I ever “hear” God.  As a gardener, it is easy to hear God in the spring and summer.  He is in the cricket’s chirp and the whisper in the wind as well as in the plink of the raindrops. With all the technological gadgets that I have in my household combined with my self-confined “hermit tendencies”, it is easy to forget God’s command to “Be still and KNOW.” 

These last few days, I have been able to use my hands to keep my mind “still”.  If someone pops into my mind, I pause and pray for them. God seems to pop a lot of “someones” pop into my mind. I find that I spend less time worrying, and it is so much easier to hand those worries over.  I truly am at a peace.  I also think that God knows my strong desire to not be running all the time, and so, He has used this resurgence of crafting to quiet me. 

Even though to the human eye it might appear that it is just me (and Huck) quietly crafting, I know that there is He is there.  And just like any proud papa, He is proud that I am choosing to spend time with Him.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

 

 

UFO #3 is once again made with scraps from Erin’s quilt.  I am almost completely out of those.  It is a rag quilt (sewn with seams exposed).  It becomes more ragged with each washing.  While it wasn’t exactly 64 like squares in the quilt, there were a whole lot of “someone’s” prayed over during the making of this quilt. 

 

 

UFO # 2 – Coat of Many Colors

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My Mama Cloie and my Nanny Katie (my grandmothers) have each made my children beautiful, wonderful quilts and afghans.  These are beautiful creations that my children will take into their future homes to share with their children.  All are treasured and all are equally special.  Today, one is standing out in my memories, and I guess my UFO projects are truly turning into trips down memory lane. 

About twelve or thirteen years ago, my Mama was fed up with all those little bits of skeins of yarn left over after making larger projects (which are afghans in her case).  So she decided to just sit down one day and crochet all of them together into an afghan.  It was more experimental than purposeful, and as she would tell you, “it kept my hands busy.”  When one skein ran out, she just started another one.  At first, I am sure she thought it was more interesting than beautiful, but as it unfolded an memorable thing occured. 

My Papa Reed, who was deep in the recesses of Alzheimer’s disease at this point, looked at her one day and said, “That’s beautiful, and he’s going to love it.”  Her immediate thought was, “He who?”.  This afghan was an experiment, not intended to be given to anyone.  When she pressed further, Papa replied definitively, “Well, little Reed, of course.” 

Suddenly the experiment became a beloved object of love with a destination and a purpose.  Through phone calls the story was told to me, and through the postal service the afghan arrived.  “Little” Reed couldn’t have been more proud, and he immediately wanted to put on his bunk.  That night when I tucked him, at his ripe little age of 4, he showed me how wise four years old can really be.  “I’m the luckiest boy in the world, Momma.”  I agreed that he had lots of amazing things in his life, but he realized I wasn’t understanding his meaning.  “No, Momma, I am the only boy in the world who has a blanket of many colors just like Joseph’s coat.”  Wow!

Now, I don’t think that was ever my Mama’s plan, but it certainly gave all of us a new idea of what was capable. Scraps of leftovers lovingly crafted into a priceless treasure.  Isn’t that just the way God is using each one of us?  He takes all the junk out of our closets, and somehow patiently and tenderly crafts it into something not just useful but absolutely priceless in his Kingdom.  I for one stand awed by His Handiwork.

 

 

 

UFO update: 

Following in my Mama’s footsteps, yesterday’s UFO was made from scraps of Erin’s quilt, leftover minky fabric from a baby quilt I had made, and all sorts of odd ribbon pieces from my scraps.  I had always wanted to make a taggies blanket.  So with a little creativity and a touch of Alabamian ingenuity, this is what resulted.  Hopefully, the baby that receives this someday, will know God’s love for even the tiny bits.  For reference, I used http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2010/11/make-it-taggie-blanket-for-baby/ as a tutorial. 

 

 

UFO’s – January

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My whole life I have marvelled at space and all it has to offer.  One of my favorite television shows as a kid was Lost in Space. The thoughts of space travel had me mesmerized. But the kind of UFO that I will be writing about today is not the kind that will have me travelling into space.  Rather it is one that will help me clean up my space. 

I hate to come out here and confess what I am going to confess.  But I figure the best way to stop doing this to myself is to put it out there and hold myself accountable (through all of you).  I am a crafts-nut.  I have enough projects to keep me busy until the day I die.  Fortunately, I love creating things, and my creative interests appear to have no boundaries.  I have beading projects, quilts, cross-stitch, knitting, stamping, scrapbooking and a sundry of supplies.  The problem is that I have started projects and not finished them. Additionally, I will buy supplies when I read about a great project or I come across a great deal.  I have a closet full of fabric waiting to be sewn, skeins of yarn waiting to be knitted into scarves and mittens, and scrapbooks that lay with blank pages. Right here is where Robot would say, “Danger! Will Robinson! Danger!”  (Hence, UFO  in this case means UnFinished Object.)

At the heart  of this confession is the fact that I am not being a good steward of the money God gave me nor have I been realistic about the time that I have to do such projects.  I have been pulled away by doctoring, general busy-ness, kids activities, volunteering, and work commitments.  I am planning to change my ways (and save money) by finishing the projects I have started and by abstaining from purchasing new materials and supplies (if not needed to finish a current project).

So my first UFO is to finish a baby quilt (that is simply meant to be a gift to some future baby girl).  This quilt has a little history in that it is made of scraps from Erin’s bedroom quilt, and some lovely little girls at Faith’s Lodge (www.faithslodge.org) helped me piece it.  We all sat on the wonderful 3 season porch at the Lodge and we worked.  While we did it, we shared about sons and brothers that left us much too soon and about how much we missed them.  Even though it was only a handful of us at a time, looking back, we shared in what women throughout time have done.  We used our hands to create something beautiful, while we laughed and cried and used that time to soothe our souls.  Hopefully the love shared in that room will be passed on to the recipient of that blanket some day. 

Thinking about it like that, there is probably a history and a memory associated with each UFO I have to complete. Maybe that’s what I have been searching for with each purpose, the joy of making memories.  Right now, I am going to choose to travel this year down memory lane rather than seeking new and more thrilling adventures in the world of crafting.  I want to finish the quilts my Mama Cloie started.  I want to knit the yarn that was given to me by my best friend’s (and my adopted) mom.  I want to scrapbook those pictures (even if it is difficult memories of pictures with Reed). I am guessing that God will bless each project because I am choosing to recognize that my spending hasn’t been wise in the past, and that I am definitely a work in progress myself. 

If you see me longingly eyeing the supplies at the crafts stores, remind me of how I am God’s handicraft in progress.  That will certainly do the trick. 

In the meantime, if you are a crafter, happy crafting during these winter days when we want to stay home and stay in.  (And yes, I will post pictures along the way.)

Just think, Batman!

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I have had opportunity over the last four years to spend a lot of time with my kids in vehicles, particularly on our way back and forth to doctoring visits.  A week ago, I had such an opportunity.   Spending eight hours in a vehicle with a teenage boy can result in some pretty amazing conversations. 

The most recent trip had us conversing for hours on end the merits of various super-powers we would like should God decide to give us that opportunity someday.  We giggled as we spoke about what Sawyer thought my super powers would be.  He felt that since I had a proclivity to rescuing animals, particularly cats and kittens, that my super powers would have something to do with that.  I finally had to convince him that if I was stuck with cat rescue for my super power, couldn’t I, at the very least, get some super cheetah speed? 

A few more miles down the road, and he had the perfect road-worthy discussion question.  “Of all the Batman actors, which one was your favorite, Mom?”  The response was swift, “Hands-down, Adam West. What is not to love about the Pow! Kablam! era of Batman?”
My son agreed that was his favorite Batman, but his reasoning took me by surprise.  “Seriously, Mom.  With his small potbelly and love handles, Adam West’s Batman, makes me believe that I could actually be a superhero?”

A few more miles down the road, my own teen boy wonder was sound asleep after 4 hours of doctor appointments.  His words, however, were resonating in my head as I drove on.  How true were his remarks!  Over the next hours, I really thought about how our perceptions filter into our reality.  If we believe that we can do something, we typically can. But how many times do we doubt our own abilities?

The Bible is full of doubters.  Moses, Sarah, David’s brothers, Zechariah . . . but every time God showed his super POWER to equip by fulfilling His promises to them or their families.  Moses, who had a speech impediment, was called of God to lead the Israelites.  Sarah, who was of extreme age, was called to be the mother of a nation.  David’s brothers thought it laughable that a tiny pipsqueak of a boy was getting too large for his britches to think he coul take on Goliath.  Zechariah doubted that his childless, older-than-average wife would have a baby, yet she became the mother of John the Baptist.  There are countless others recorded in the Bible, but there are also so many, even today, not recorded who doubt what God is calling them to do.

I have been among those.  I was perfectly content to be a wife, mom, and teacher. When God “called”, I wasn’t sure I could be the person to write and speak about Him and share His story with others.  I’m not trained in either of those areas, and English (or Language Arts) was my worst subject in school.  Additionally, I just like to be at home. To magnify my weaknesses, I am a homebody who isn’t good with words all the time and who also has love handles herself.  But just like each of those characters, at some point, I came to understand that if God is wanted me to do this, why wouldn’t He give the abilities to do it? (Okay, I would have to work on the love handles on own.)

I took a leap of faith, and God has provided the writing and speaking materials.  Moreover, He has given me and my children real-life examples of people doing amazing things that no one believed possible.  Friends who have overcome great disappointments, tragedies, life circumstances, and doubts to go on to do incredible things. Role models that have shared with me that they too doubted they could pull off their feats, but with God’s help the sky was truly the limit.  So while, I may never master the fine art of using the grappling hook like Adam West and Burt Ward, I CAN always lean on the one, true super HERO to find the strength to do all things that are possible through him. 

Instead of waiting for whom we believe to be the right person, maybe we could all step back and realize that the right person blessed with God’s power might be the one staring back at us (wrinkles and gray roots included) in the mirror.   Now if all did that, no power could ever stop us!

Saying good-bye to a sweet, little friend.

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He came to our family in an ususual way.  We had another feline friend for a few months, and that relationship didn’t fluorish.  She needed to be wild and free (and not biting all the guests that came to our house).  It was a difficult decision, but our vet convinced us that Daisy Duke wasn’t the kitty for our family.  Months went by and we didn’t desire to replace her.  That lack of interest was probably due to the fact that our original kitties had to get a new home following the bus crash.  It was all too much for all of us, and after much discussion, we had to find Shadow and Rescue new homes.  It was the best decision for them, even if it meant we felt like we were losing more family members. 

Months have gone by and not one mention on a new kitty.  That was until a chance encounter with our veterinarian.  She was wondering if we would ever be interested in a little special needs kitty.  The question caught me off-guard, because like I said, we weren’t looking.  My curiousity piqued, I inquired as to what type of special need.  We have experience fostering kitties (especially those abandoned by their mothers), and we have raised a few with bottles.  That wasn’t the new kitty’s issue.  He had experienced some kind of trauma (probably hit by a car), was dropped off at a farm, was promptly dumped at the veterinarian who tried to save his leg.  Ultimately, the leg couldn’t be saved, and here he was a little 3-legged ball of sweetness – who nobody wanted. 

Of course, my sense of cheering for the underdog (okay, undercat in this case) took over.  I agreed to take a look – on one condition.  This kitty would have to get along with Huck – numero uno, top dog and pet at Team Stevens Headquarters.  I shared his story with the kids, and  just like little apples fallen off the tree, their sense of truth and justice (and the American way) kicked in,  and they were ready to save this unseen kitty. 

We decided that I would pick up the kitty the next day for a trial overnight.  We all waited with fingers crossed hoping the moment Huck laid eyes on him would be like cherubim with harps came to serenade us all.  It was almost that perfect.  We all watched as I placed a tiny little 2.4 lbs kitty in front of a 97 lb golden retriever.  Instead of hissing with an arched back, that little ball of fluff nuzzled that big, old, wet nose and a friendship was born, not to mention the melting of all the human hearts in the room. 

That night we decided to name kitty, Ocho, because we figured he had already lost one life in the trauma that took his leg.  We promptly called the vet to say that we would emphatically NOT be bringing him back as he had already wrapped his little tail around our hearts.  Over the course of the next months, we discovered that he loved to cuddle, he was tolerant with kids, and he loved to wrestle with Huck which made the old boy seem so much younger than his 9 years.

 He was carted between our house and the neighbor’s for many playdates.  Ocho was loved by friends, family, and neighbors. He was dressed up in baby doll clothes and placed in baby doll cradles.  He was a willing participant in many different games and activities.  Sure he was a normal cat, and he loved to torment our preteen daughter’s toes in the middle of the night.  He loved a good snooze on any of the beds with a good sunshine fix in the afternoon.  Learning from the master, Huckleberry, he adapted those naps on occasion to the clean, fresh laundry piles I was folding. And of course, he intently watched the pigeons that we raise, but he never bothered them.  Nighttime prowls in our backyard were a staple, but he always returned home with a purr and a cuddle.

But then shortly after New Year’s we discovered our little Ocho (at 1 1/2 years old) was very sick.  We still don’t know yet what happened, but he developed some type of fluid in his chest cavity.  We watched, tried everything we could afford to do, and fretted for several days.  Deep down, we knew he wasn’t doing well. When Huck went and retrieved his beloved bone and laid it in front of his ailing friend, we simply knew it was time.  We had one last sleepover with Ocho, and I watched him throughout the night.  He was in so much pain that he never really rested.  We doted, we loved, and we doctored. 

Then we had to say good-bye.  He laid in my arms as I sobbed and told him that he was the best cat any family could have ever asked for.  He gave me one last nuzzle and breathed his last breath.  The guilt of letting him down was enormous.  Then the love of many friends reminded us that Ocho was a kitty that no one had wanted in the beginning, and that we had raised him lovingly, never letting him know that he was different from other cats. 

In the end, he taught us a lot about ourselves.  We will always, always, ALWAYS, root for the undercat!  We will also remember that BIG LOVE can come in little packages.   We learned that friends love us when we’re down and are there for us no matter what, knowing full well FRIENDS like that are hard to find! 

Now that we’ve said our goodbyes, we just hope we will be able to find him in heaven because we are certain he now has 4 legs!

A New Year – What is God saying to me?

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I am not a big believer in resolutions.  Oh, I have the resolve to set goals and see them through, but my dislike of resolutions has to do with the push to make drastic changes simply because I got a new calendar.  It seems that since the bus crash I have been earnestly seeking what is God’s plan in all of this (aka my life).  The truth is at that precise moment all my sensibilities, my pride, my thoughts, and my desires were stripped away.  Sure I was a Christian, but I also had a whole lot of MY will inserted in there.  It was at that moment that God laid bare my heart and tenderly and gently picked it up,  cradled and comforted it, put it back together, and helped me to see what the real purpose was of His Son’s death (not to mention the lessons taught to me about the death of my own son) – to show his love for the world.  That may seem like a stretch for some people. But if what I believed to be true in the morning of February 19, 2008 wasn’t true that night, then Jesus’ horrible death was for nothing.  So I choose to believe in Jesus, and in God’s undeniable MESSAGE OF LOVE. 

Resolutions seem to be a reminder of MY plans, and I am not sure that they fit with God’s plan for my life.  Instead I choose to focus on what stirrings God has placed in my heart no matter when they come.  Lately that stirring is for humility, forgiveness, and servanthood. I am learning that in the past, I cared about titles and accomplishments, and now, they don’t seem important.  Now I want to see the world through God’s eyes and through Jesus model of coming to earth to serve.  Yet the only way that I can do that is by staying in His Word and by using my words and knees to talk and pray. 

 I am continuing with my goal for several years of reading the Bible cover to cover.  (Yes, I know that isn’t what most people recommend, but that plan is working undeniably well for me.  In fact, I cried as I told Daniel the other night that I have fallen in love with God’s word.  It IS that inspiring to me.)  I didn’t finish the whole Bible in a year, but I will press on toward the goal.  To kick off the New Year, I thought I would share one of my recent devotions that was paired with my Bible reading in the Book of Luke.  I don’t believe in coincidence; so, this devotion resonated with my soul as to what God has been stirring in me.  I hope by sharing it – you find some stirrings in your heart as well. 

This is based on the selection Luke 14:1-72.  The devotion is an excerpt from A Love Worth Giving by Max Lucado. 

Would you do what Jesus did?  He swapped a spotless castle for a grimy stable.  He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers.  He could hold the universe in his palm but gave it up to float in the womb of a maiden. 

If you were God, would you sleep on straw, nurse from a breast, and be clothed in a diaper?  I wouldn’t, but Christ did.

If you knew that only a few would care that you came, would you still come? If you knew that those who you loved would laugh in your face, would you still care?  If you knew that the tongues you made would mock you, the mouths you made would spit at you, the hands you made would crucify you, would you still make them? Christ did.  Would you regard the immobile and invalid more important than yourself? Jesus did.

He humbled himself.  He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw.  From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger.  The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier.

Why? Because that’s what love does. It puts the beloved before itself.  Your soul was more important than his earthly life.  Your place in heaven was more important to him than his place in heaven, so he gave up his so you could have yours. 

He loves you that much and because he loves you, you are of prime importance to him. 

Christ stands in contrast to the barnyard.  He points to the sparrow, the most inexpensive bird of his day, and says, “Five sparrows are sold for only two pennies, and God does not forget any of them . . . You are worth much more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7 NCV)

God remembers the small birds of the world.  We remember the eagles.  We make bronze statues of the hawk.  We name our athletic teams after the falcons.  But God notices the sparrows.  He makes time for the children and takes note of the lepers.  He offers the woman in adultery a second chance and the thief on the cross a personal invitation.  Christ is partial to the beat up and done in and urges us to follow suit.  “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” (Luke 14:13 NCV)

Want to love others as God has loved you?  Come thirsty.  Drink deeply of God’s love for you, and ask him to fill your heart with a love worth giving.