So tired.....

The gnome hat has faded, it has a little tear, and I had a hook all picked out for it, but we have just one more trip this summer. 

The pile of boxes is diminishing, the dog has arrived, Almost all of the children have been to check out our new home, and I have almost found my way to Bruno's and back. 

No internet at home yet, but that's okay, I get to go to McDonalds and check my email and have a Strawberry lemonade....life is good.

Miss my friends at home......ready to meet new friends....but thanking God for a little "down time".

So for now, I am listening to the radio a lot, tinking of you all and unpacking boxes...

Stitching up the gnome hat and getting ready for a new day...

Love, from Fairhope

Mama Hamil"gnome"

Twenty Four years ago today.....

I was holding the most awesome little boy with blonde hair and big blue eyes and I fell head over heels in love...he was my son.

Well, of course he was his daddy's son, too but at that moment, the world stopped turning and there were only two people in that room.  This gorgeous child, and an ill-prepared woman whom he would depend on to meet all of his needs.

If I ever needed God's wisdom and grace it was in that moment...and he delivered.

Did I feel inadequate...you bet, was I scared? terrified, but alone, no way.  God gives us children to be blessings to us, to care for and to love.  He let me know that as long as his father and I provided love and guidance, and entrusted this child back to Him, that he would do the rest.  .."train up a child."

It has been a wonderful 24 years, you are an awesome man, a great husband and a spectacular father. We are amazed daily by your wisdom, love and integrity. 

Thank you for calling me Mom.  I love you! Happy, Happy Birthday, JOSHUA!

I can't find it......Where is it?

Okay, I put it down somewhere, I know it's here...Ahhh, there it is, the little red gnome hat ready for travel once again.  I thought I taped it up in a box somewhere but I didn't.  Let me put it on one more time.

So, today is the day.  The day we have been working towards for quite awhile.  The day that we leave the safety and love and feeling of home and family we have in the Wiregrass for parts unknown. Putting "home" in the rearview mirror is always hard...But getting the opportunity to call somewhere else "home" and to serve somewhere else will be a blessing too.

So, off go the Hamil"gnomes" again....by the time this summer is over, our odometer will read 200,000 miles, our hearts will be full, but hopefully we will have a hook in the kitchen to rest the pointy red hats on for awhile.  A little dust on them won't be a bad thing.

But for now, hats on, reporting for duty, ready to serve.....for the promise of a new day!

From somewhere in South Alabama.....signing off for a day or two....Mama Hamil"gnome"

Doors

There are all kinds of doors. Solid ones, ornate doors with beautiful windows, revolving doors, swinging doors, automatic doors, french doors and I'm sure plenty more that I haven't thought of. 

Been thinking about doors lately.  They either keep or allow things or people in, or let them out.  Or they can even keep people our things out. I think our hearts function a lot like doors in many ways.

 If someone approaches our heart we have the choice to let them in or leave them outside. Everytime you let someone in, you take a risk.  You give them access to your emotions, your feelings and the very heart of who you are. You take that risk to let them see you at your best, your worst and everything in between. 
However, you also take a risk by not letting someone in your heart. You may miss out on a blessing.  The blessing of encouragement, love, frienship, and the joy of living life together.

A huge part of how we give access has to do with who is in the house when we make that decision.  You may decide that you have enough people with access to your heart, you may decide that you don't want to take a risk again.  But, I promise you this, if the One who loves us more than anything is in your house when the knock comes, you won't mind giving access to others. After all, it didn't go so bad when you let Him in, did it?

I have chosen to live my life like a french door.  I try to be inviting, letting people in as they approach.
Have I gotten hurt? Yes. but that is a part of the journey.  But I have someone in my living room, to bandage the wounds, love me completely, and to keep me from putting up the ugly, solid, uninviting door. Have I been blessed beyond measure by those whom I have given access?   In more ways than I have words for!

Don't be afraid to give access....don't be afraid to let someone in....Sometimes, people have to leave, but the things they leave behind are part of the decor that is the home of your heart..

"Then Christ will make His home in your hearts, as you trust in Him, your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong." Ephesians 3:17

What kind of door are you?

I couldn't be...no way...how did that happen?

Okay, so I went to bed last night in my 40's, this morning I woke up not in my 40's anymore,and it happened...I began to unravel just a little bit!!

 I kissed my husband goodbye,  he told me  that I might want to go by McDonald's and get my Senior Citizen's coffee, I thought, "Hmmph, in a little less than 10 months, he's gonna get it!!!!!!" So, I head to work, contemplating the new decade of my life that I just
woke up in. I thought, "Coffee is for old folks, I'll stop and get a Dr. Pepper at the gas station. I'll just show him." I promptly get out of the car, go inside, pay for my gas and "cool" Dr. pepper, and ooops... I did it! Something I haven't done in at least 20 years. I locked not only my keys but my phone AND my keys in the car at the gas pump! How is that for embarrasing? I had to go in and ask to borrow their phone, and admit to the man I love more than anything that I had a very big "Senior moment".  Of course he rescued me, he always does, but when he unlocked the door, he said, "I'm just not quite sure how that happened." I didn't answer, but when I got home, He told me that it wouldn't have happened if I'd gotten my Sr. coffee!! Ahhhhh!! Not nice! 

But, then I got to thinking, I found this purse I really liked at a store that offers a 50+ discount...this getting older might not be a bad thing after all.

Tomorrow, I will activate my AARP card, go shopping and enjoy being 50 which is the new 40, or 30 or whatever. 

Good night, friends.  I am going to find my keys and my phone and put them in a safe place!!!!! I may even get a free coffee on my way to work...I'll go through the drive through and that way nothing gets locked in the car!!!

Sleep tight!

The chapel

One of the extreme privileges I have had the last 5 years is to work less that 75 feet from one of the most beautiful chapels in the vicinity.  It is not the main sanctuary of this beautiful church, but it is a quiet, holy place tucked away from the noise, and business of life.

It is a place of respite for those who are in need of comfort, who are devastated, whose lives are forever altered, for those who are struggling, searching, questioning, or for those of us who may sometimes just need a "time out"!

God does not disappoint.  He meets each person there, He tenderly loves, quietly listens, reveals Himself in ways only He can do, and He holds us in his arms, or lets us recline against His chest, feel His heartbeat and know that He is in control....a shelter in the storm, a rest for the weary and an "attitude adjuster" for those in need of a "time out"!

Thank you, Lord

Fathers and Daughters, Fathers and Sons

Today is Father's Day.  What a bittersweet day.  I only had daddy for 17 years, but somehow daddy knew that he had to pack a lot in those few short years.  I am so grateful for all the life lessons he gave me in that short amount of time. I learned things that are the very thread of who I am.  I learned what it is like to have a Godly father,  who showed me the love of the most perfect father, and for that I will always be thankful. There is a place in my heart, that only a daddy can fill.

But the blessings don't end there.  My husband is a remarkable father.  He loves his children with his whole heart and always puts them first. As our sons are now adults, I truly see the imprint he has left on each of their lives.  He is not only their father, but he is their closest ally. There is a place in their hearts that only a Father can fill.

Then, there is my son Josh.  What a father he is.  I see the same look in his eyes when he is with his sweet daughter that I have seen before, first with daddy, then with his daddy.  She loves her daddy with her whole heart and he loves her just as much. Her heart has a place that is just for her daddy!

We may live in an imperfect world. Because we are human we do things that are not always right, we make mistakes and sometimes we are just wrong.  But one of the most perfect types of love we have in this world, is the love of a Godly father.

Thank you God, for the examples of fatherly love in my life.  Praise to You this Father's day

"Two months"

Two months....A small facebook post, two words only, but what a great amount of meaning those two words hold!

Andrew, our oldest twin and his financee both posted those words this week.  Wow! less than two months and our family increases yet again! 

What a wonderful thought! Another joyous time is coming. They are so excited and so are we...More wedding preparations, more excitement and joy for a new home and union God is creating. 

We are blessed beyond measure....First each other, then sons, now Daughters in law and a grandbaby.... one day more!  It is hard sometimes to take it all in. 

Thank you Lord for all of your blessings...wrapped in gnome hats, porch swings, pretty dresses and fancy tuxes and the faces of friends, family and loved ones.  You are amazing!

Let the Summer of 2011 continue....

Aunt Gladys

 Aunt Gladys was my only aunt on my daddy's side.  I loved her so much.  She was not a "girly girl".  Her idea of fun was to hook up her boat to her trailer, drive to her fish camp on the river and fish.  Just like any other true woman of the South, she could cook a buffet for 20 people every Sunday, make sweet tea like none other, and grow the most amazing azaleas, hydrangeas, and daylillies you have ever seen...she was also at her church everytime the doors were open.  She loved her parents, and siblings with all her heart, and my daddy, her baby brother was crazy about her.  So was I.  Her whole family was crazy about her and never wandered more that a block or two away from her for most of their lives.

She was always smiling or laughing. She told the best stories about her mischevious childhood. I never once heard her complain, and when she hugged you, you knew it because it took you two or three minutes to breathe again.

After Daddy died and I went off to school, I didn't see her nearly as much, but there was never a Christmas, or an occaision that we didn't get a card or a gift. I don't know if I ever told her how much that meant.

She wasnt fancy, but she did everything with her whole heart.  Aunt Gladys always was a sign of constancy and stability to everyone in her life.  She passed away about 4 years ago, now. She was in her late 90's and was graceful even in her leaving. Her life wasn't easy, she was weathered, but to look in her blue eyes, you saw the joy of a child and the love of Jesus.

I believe that in Heaven we will be reunited with those that have gone before us.  I can't wait to see the smile on her face as she hugs me tight and says, "Come on in sug, your daddy and me just caught some fish today, wanna stay for supper? let me get ya some tea!" 

Love you, Aunt Gladys!

American Pickers...where are you?...and by the way, where is the cleaning fairy?

I love the concept of this show.  It's about these two guys who travel across the country  and stop at the homes of random people and ask to dig through their barns or junk sheds.  They find these priceless treasures and offer rock-bottom prices, and then resell the stuff for more.  Depending on the value of the stuff, "rock-bottom" isn't always so bad.

I don't have a barn or a junk house, but I am moving and pitching junk.  I wish they'd show up at my house and find some priceless treasure that I could barter for...It would make this whole packing mess seem like a treasure hunt! Well...a girl can dream, can't she?

The other fun thing about moving is realizing that you are not as neat and clean as you think.  I wish I had a "cleaning fairy" to come and clean under and behind some of my furniture. I mean, really, how often do you pull out your piano, or your refrigerator to clean around it.. Yuck!!!!!

All in all, moving is a reality check.  It tells most people two things...the first is that they are collectors of "stuff" and, the second is that, most of us are a bit messy  in places where no one can see.

I can't wait to get everything clean, and straight, get rid of some junk and start all over again! Come on, Pickers and cleaning fairies...I need you!

"Marking" Babies

I was about  ten or 11 when I went to the Methodist Church across the street from my church with my sister for a concert.  You see, there were two good looking young college boys from Asbury College (before it was Asbury University) who were singing and preaching their way across the Southeast trying to raise tuition money for the next year. Well, as I recall, they sang pretty good and all the girls were laughing at their corny jokes, and crying at their message.  But, there is only one thing they said that night that I will never forget.

They told this story of a Missionary woman in China that had to go to the mountain stream to get water for her family every day.  She was pregnant, and on her way up the mountain she saw it....the biggest, blackest, bear you have ever seen!  She was terrified, she left her wagon and the buckets and ran just as far as she could to the bottom of the mountain and back home to her family.  She calmed down, and everything seemed to be okay, and then, the baby was born.....

There she was, a cute little baby girl, with pretty blue eyes, blonde hair, ten fingers, ten toes, and oh no....it couldn't be...the bear had left it's mark.....she had little "bear" feet!!!!

I know, corniest joke EVER....

but I think there is something to "marking" babies as the old folks say.  When my oldest son was born, we decorated his room with clowns.  Clowns everywhere.  big ones, little ones, seashell clowns, ceramic clowns, clown lamps, clown bedding, well...you get the picture!

I didn't find out till many years later that he is terrified of clowns. Maybe I "marked" him.  Who knows?  My mom ate onions like they were apples when she was pregnant with me? Do I like onions? Never have!

Think about it....Have you been marked?  have you "marked" your child?

I know it is really only an old wives tale, but sometimes, the coincidences are astounding!

We all know we are set apart and marked by Jesus, to be His and do his will, whether it is in bare feet, in a clown ministry or chopping onions when we don't like them

How are you marked?

Why do I ever worry?

Dad gnome and I hit the road today for the third time in search of a home.  We were feeling quite discouraged, thinking we would never find anything in our new city.  After we put on our gnome hats and loaded the car, we prayed that God wouldn't let us return empty handed. We drove in silence, not quite so confident.

First house, liked it...called about it: RENTED

Second house: NO

Third house:  hmm interesting..walk up to the door and there is a sign on it: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Wink #1

We look around, hmm, we like it. walk out to the screened porch, and there is a PORCH SWING!....wow! THis is it! Wink #2

We hope we can get it...while we wait, we look at other houses,
no, no, too much, too little, baby kittens in the house(really...another blog for another day_)

We go back to the sweet realtors' office, to find out the news...YES!

While we are paying the deposit, I get a text from a friend about a sweet little girl..Her name is the same name as our new street!
 Wink #3

Why do we worry...He gives us so much more that we can ever ask, imagine, or deserve!

Lightning Bugs!

One of the most amazing creatures God has created are fireflies. We called them "lightening bugs".  I just love the way they light up a dark night and as a kid, I really appreciated how easy they are to catch.  You don't see them very often anymore around here. But we have been in places where  they were like lasers lighting up the side of the country roads.

Mom used to let me fill a mason jar with them, poke holes in the jar, and I would fall asleep with them by my bed.  The sad thing is, they would all be dead by morning. Daddy had the job of emptying the jar before I awoke

I don't really know if they are of ecological or scientific importance or if God just created them to put wonder in children's faces. I have never seen a child that wasn't amazed by the beautiful lightning bug!

I personally think they are a little "wink"...reminding us that there is still wonder and beauty to be found, and that awe can be found in anything.

Thank you Lord, for Lightning bugs!

Unpack the pointy gnome hat again!

"Life is a highway...." This is my song for today!  We are here at annual conference for our denomination. Another leg of our summer journey.  This is a good leg in our wanderings.

As a clergy spouse, I see people I only get to see once a year or once every other year, we catch up, we laugh about old times.  Some of these sweet people have been in our lives since we began this journey.  We were all going through the same things.  Wide-eyed, having just left our normal lives behind, and with kids in-tow embarked on this awesome adventure that is now our lives. Some of the people I get to see have been in our lives even longer, since college, even. Some faces even familiar as neighborhood pastors from my childhood.

This year it is bittersweet like everything else, we are moving.  Some of our friends are moving, some are staying in their churches this year.  But it is kind of a kinship.  They understand the moving process.  You understand the relief in the friends' faces that are not moving and you certainly understand the trepidation, anticipation and excitement mirrored back to you in the ones not moving.

Best of all, there is the assurance, that we all understand. That if God has called us to this place, to this time and this hour, he will be faithful to handle all of the details.  This verse says it best, 1 Thessalonians 5:24
"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it"

That just doesn't go for me and mine, but for you too.  If you feel called to leave your comfort zone, to leave the familiar, it is scary, it is crazy, but He is not.  He is faithful, and He can do it.  Which means, you can too!

There is a song for everything!

My husband and I have been married forever, and somethimes I think we are just one person in the way that we think.  We are a little sarcastic, and tend to try to lighten tense moments with a quick comeback.  This is often a great annoyance to our children.  The other day, someone made the comment "Straight up", in just an ordinary way.  Well, I immediately burst out in a falsetto voice singing Paula Abdul's song by the same name. Everyone, just cracks up and we keep  singing her little tag line chorus "oh oh oh" all night. 

Sometimes, songs just say it better than words, or break up a tense moment. Today, we were singing Bon Jovi's "Living on a prayer" when the stress of the summer became palpable.

Tonight, as we sat around catching up, three or four songs came to mind. Some funny, some not so much.

Right now, I'm thinking something like, "Goodnight Sweetheart, it's time to go",
it is pretty late, after all.

As the daughter of a musician and a fan of music, I love music of faith, all kinds, contemporary, traditional and gospel. I love oldies, motown, country, classical, jazz, 40's , 50's and pretty much everything in between. So my head is pretty full of lyrics of all sorts.

I am so thankful for the gift of music and for the words we are given for nearly every situation in our lives.

When words won't do, hum a catchy tune!

"Good night, sweetheart, good night!"

Oooh...............I'm telling.....

Isn't that the age old saying of little kids? If they think someone has wronged them or they have been wronged in anyway, they will "tell". 

Wouldn't it be great if we could "tattle" like that as adults?

Where is the teacher or our Mama when:

-We get cut off in traffic?

-Somebody hurts our feelings?

-The check out lady at Walmart is mean to us?

-You think that somebody might have been rude in a text..maybe?

-Your car gets dinged?

-You can't get what you want when you want it?

Sometimes there is just nobody to tell....That is when it is time to put on our "big girl panties" and deal with it. Generally, it all works out, and we know this...but Sometimes we just want somebody to "tattle" to.  Friends will listen, but then sometimes, that's just not enough, and if you tattle too much, they just get tired of it...I know, because I am quite experienced in tattling!!!!

BUT Don't get too stressed, there is a solution----
There is an old song I just happened to remember, "Are you weary, are you heavy laden, tell it to Jesus alone."

Have a good day, and just remember, there is help for Tattlers..

Stained Glass

I love stained glass windows.  It is amazing to me that someone can take broken pieces of glass which by themselves are unique, colorful, different, and make something beautiful when placed together in their artist's hand.  The final touch is the coming to life of this image when it is illuminated as light shines through it. 

I am so blessed to have so many different people in my life.  They are by no means alike.  I love the diversity of my friends and family. Everyone is different and unique, and as I reflect on the beauty of each person, I am blown away.  How blessed I am for each person that God has placed in my life.  For the quiet, the joyful, the loud, the strong, the tender, the old, the young.  For each gift each person has brought to my life.  There are sayings I'll never forget, there are tears we have shed alone or together, there are arguments, agreements, life events, worship times, fun times and just plain silly times. Specific details I may not always remember, but your image and the place each holds in my heart will always remain.

We have been saying a lot of "Good byes" lately and because of this, I have been thinking about the people that have been in my life and I feel so thankful. 

I will especially smile when I think of how the master took us all with our unique shape, size and color, and from our brokenness made a gorgous image, created for each of us, illuminated with his love to carry in our hearts forever.

Thank you God for this window in my life.

Don't be a "sassafras"

Another one of dad's sayings.  In other words, it meant, don't have a sour attitude or a sour face. Very few things annoyed him, and that was one of them. Evidently the sassafrass root makes you have a very sour face...I don't know if its true or a "bull story" but that is what he said.  Pa Ross also ate sassafrass root hence, his nasty disposition!

If someone in our family was grouchy, we'd hear, "Don't be a sassafras".  He really didn't do well with negativity or conflict and poor thing, he got stuck with a house full of women!

I try to keep reminding myself of all of that, these days. Sometimes, life doesn't treat us fairly, sometimes, we don't get exactly what we want when we want it. and sometimes, we just have to wait. ughhhh......

So, I am counting all of my blessings daily, trying not to get annoyed with negative people, and lastly and most importantly, I am trying to remember that a positive attitude, patience, and knowing that God is in control, is sure a lot better than being a "Sassafras."

You are right, Daddy!