Mother of a Soldier

   

    The one and only son of the Preacher and I, has held up his right hand and taken his oath to defend our country. So now we are the parents of a Soldier.

     These words, ‘mother of a Soldier’, have not fully sunk into my brain. It is partly due to the fact that he has not actually left to serve his country, but it is really because I am not ready to fully embrace all that these words entail.

     Did I know that someday I would become the mother of a soldier? One night, when our son was twelve years old, he confided in me that he wanted to serve in the military. I remember feeling apprehensive, but also I remember feeling a little proud. I documented that conversation in a scrapbook page. There were no pictures taken of that night, just our conversation. I wanted to remember those words so that I could retell them to my son, if and when the day came that he did join the military.

     Within the last seven years my son has finished his home-school high school, received his AA degree from our local community college, and attended several college programs. I put the possibility of my son spending time in the military in the very back of my mind (I mean way back there), even though he did bring up the idea every once in a while.  You try to think about what career your son will pursue and the military is not on a mother’s top 10 list of careers for her child.

     When your child is born into this world, you think that it is your responsibility to keep them safe from all harm, to protect them. You teach them the warning signs of danger, you tell them how to avoid these dangers by saying things like – “Don’t run with scissors in your hand.”, “Don’t touch the stove, it’s hot!”, “Don’t climb so far up!”, “Look both ways before crossing the street.” Even as they grow older, you’re still there letting them know that there are still dangers to beware of and to avoid – how to drive a car safely, what to look out for when they go away to college – you still think that their safety is your responsibility.  

     So what now? That responsibility of keeping him safe is now completely out of my hands. He won’t be here, I won’t be able to help him through the hard times, the rough times, and the dangerous times. He is a young man now and with that he has made his life decision. Eventually, we as mothers, do have to give up that motherly control. The one thing that I can be certain of is that my God, his God, will still be there as He has been all of his life. No matter where he is stationed, our Savior will be looking after him. I know that I will have to remind myself daily of this fact. I have to remember that he is and was always a gift from God and I have to remember that God put him on this earth for a reason and a purpose. Now is the time for my son to find out what that purpose is.

     I am praying daily for my son and I ask that you too, may pray for my son, once in a while. The Preacher and I, we thank you in advance for all of your prayers.

in memory of a four-legged family member - Max

Max and his boy the first night he joined our family

In the year 2001, the preacher and I decided it was time to add a dog to our family of 3. Our son had turned 6 that year and we thought he was old enough to help take care of a pet. Our son was so excited to learn of our decision!

The preacher began to search online for a full blooded Labrador Retriever. Our son informed us that his dog was to have yellow hair like his. We already knew what his name would be -- months before our son saw a TJ Maxx sign and asked what it said, after I told him he proclaimed, "Max, that will be my dog's name!" So, with a name and a coat color we began searching. After several weeks, and several interviews with breeders, we found our dog - Max!

Max was born in June of 2001, in Tennessee. The preacher's mother, who lived in Indiana, traveled to Tennessee, picked up Max and then drove down to where we lived, at the time, in Florida. She got to our house around 10:00 at night. We woke up our son to meet his new dog.

Max was the cutest pup I have ever seen. Right away our son and his dog bonded. Max always wanted to be where his boy, our son, was.

Max never tired of our son playing with him. They swam together, took hikes together, they went on vacations together, rode in the car together, and slept in the same room together. Max was the best friend any little boy could have ever wanted.

Max never growled or bit our son or anyone else. He didn't know a stranger. But, I do believe that if anyone tried to hurt either our son or the preacher and I, Max would have protected us in anyway he could. 

Max and his boy grew older, but Max was always there for our son. Our son went off to college and Max knew when it was time for him to come home. He would sit looking out the front door, waiting, watching, even when you couldn't see our son's car coming down the road. But soon, within minutes, here would come our son up over the hill. Max knew.

Within the last 6 months, or so, Max' health had begun to go down hill. Several times he would not feel good and would not eat. His hips were beginning to show signs of arthritis and it was so hard for him to get up and down. He seemed to always bounce back, but you knew he wasn't back to normal. He didn't move around very much and spent most of the time sleeping.

Then on Thursday, June 26, our son came into our bedroom, woke us up early, telling us he thought Max was dying. We found him lying on the living room rug, where he always laid. He was laboring so hard to breath. We surrounded him, our son sitting next to him, petting him. He passed away not long after. He passed so peaceful. There was no vet giving him a lethal dose, just his family, just the way it should be.

The house is now quiet. It feels so weird to not see him at our bedroom door in the mornings, waiting there for his mom to be feed him breakfast. Our son, is now in the stages of moving on to his next phase of his life, and so maybe Max knew it was time to go.  There has been many tears cried for the loss of our dog (even as I write this the tears are flowing down my cheeks).

I completely believe Max is in heaven now waiting for us to join him someday. He is there with the preacher's mom and dad, and with my dad. I'm sure he is running, swimming and enjoying life in our Father's house. Maybe, sometimes, he looks out the window to see if we're coming yet. When he sees we're not there, he goes back to running, and playing catch, but he knows we'll be there someday.

Max, we love you! Thank you for filling our lives with your love!

Max Smith

June 2001 - June 2014

Why Does A Song Get Stuck In My Head?

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

On a Sunday afternoon, I realized that I had the bridge of the song, "Hello My Name Is", stuck in my head- 

"What love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called His children

I am the child of the One True King"

We sang that song in our worship set at church that day.  The preacher and I were traveling to Moab, UT, for a short little vacation and we had the radio on but this song was still rolling over and over in my mind.

After a Sunday worship service, do you go home and a song from the worship set is now stuck in your head? Or do you listen to a Christian radio station on your way to work and as the day goes on, you realize that you can't get one of the songs out of your head? After you have sang the song over and over and over and over, do you begin to get a little annoyed?

Juan Rios, our Worship Minister, was giving a little devotion during a Sunday worship set and he asked this question -- "Do you worship the Lord during the week with songs?" I immediately thought of my answer - YES! I listen to Christian radio, I sing along with the songs, not for the sake of hearing my own voice, but because I love the praise that is in those songs.

I began to think, then, that maybe, just maybe, when I get a praise song stuck in my head and it just won't seem to leave, that this is the Spirit, who is in me, praising the Father. Maybe I should just go with it, sing the song out loud, pay very close attention to the words that are repeating in my mind. There may be something there that the Spirit is trying to show me, to speak to me.

The Father speaks to us in so many different ways, and I believe that He especially speaks to us through the music that has been written to glorify Him.  So the next time a worship song is stuck inside your head, don't fight it, praise your Father through that song!

P.S. If you do not currently listen to any Christian radio stations but would like to, here are my recommendations: K-Love, Way-Fm, and if you have Siriusxm, The Message. These are my favorite. Also, if you have the iHeartRadio app you can build your own station around the artist or praise songs that you enjoy. To find out more about these stations don't hesitate to go on their websites.

12 Tags of 2014/May / Where Have All the Scrapbooking Stores Gone?

12 Tags of 2014 - May

Last Sunday, I was finally able to finish 2014 May's tag. While the preacher and son were watching the World Cup, I worked on my tag. Again, you can check out Tim Holtz' blog to see his original.

Everything I put on the tag I had in my over abundance of goodies, stashed away from years and years of collecting. If anyone would like to know what company or what manufacturer I purchased these items from, well I'm sorry, but I don't have the original packaging for about 90% of my stash.

On a side note regarding purchasing scrapbook goodies -- I just received a Facebook post from Archiver's, that Two Peas in a Bucket is closing!! First Archiver's and now Two Peas?? Two Peas has been around for 15 years! When I worked at Scrapbook Fanatic (who also closed a few years ago), I would get on their website to find quotes to put on the pages that I was designing. Then I began to upload some of my own work into their Gallery. It was fun to go into the Gallery and search for pages, mini-albums, etc, to get ideas or just to see what was out there.

Unfortunately, the digital age has begun to overtake the brick and mortar stores and now even the on-line stores. It seems that so many people are making their scrapbook pages, their cards, and even their art journals, through digital processing programs.  Me, I have to be able to touch and feel the product I am using. When we would get new product in at the store, I would pull everything out and touch it and feel it, get a sense of what it would look like on a page through touch. Some of the girls would make fun of me, but I didn't care. It was my way of getting the creative juices flowing.
And now you can order just about anything you need through websites like Amazon or just go directly to the manufacturers website. There is something about walking into a scrapbooking store. You just get excited about all the possibilities. Well, hopefully, Michael's and Hobby Lobby will stay open. (I know Hobby Lobby is iffy.)

In the mean time, I do have a lot of product stashed away in the closet of my home. Who knew, my hoarding of scrapbooking supplies would end up being a good thing?!


P.S. If you live here in Colorado, there is a store in the Loveland area, Artsy Stamps, and in Estes Park you can find Rocky Mountain Memories. Both are small. Artsy focuses mostly on card making but they do have a lot of product that can be used for both cards and scrapbooking. Rocky Mountain Memories also has a lot of card making items and a lot of their papers are centered around the outdoors and the National Park there. Also, both have a small area where they have classes during the month.
      If you happen to know of any other stores, let me know.

Words of Encouragement in Time of Need

     Last week was not a good week for us financially. We have a few extra bills that we were not expecting and things just seemed to get a little out of control. 

     On Tuesday, both the preacher and I had doctor appointments in a town which is one hour away from our little town. The appointments were staggered enough that we would have to spend all day there. I knew we would be eating lunch at one of the local restaurants and then, of course being that close to a Wal-Mart, we would be getting groceries before coming home, therefore, spending more money! All of this was on my mind that Tuesday morning.

     While waiting on the preacher to finish getting things ready to go, I picked up my Art Journaling magazine and began to just browse the pages. I wasn't planning on actually reading any articles because I knew we would be leaving any minute. For some reason I stopped on the page you see in the picture above. I began to read what Mary Wisdom had wrote in her art journal:

"Lord, I feel lame for even admitting this, but I'm really feeling financial stress this month -- both tuition payments due the first week this time (and books!). Help me remember that it ALL belongs to you and help us use what you have given us wisely. Thank you for all you have given us--make me grateful & generous--not anxious & grasping...Help me remember your faithfulness in the past. Help me have faith that if we are wise and careful we can do this, we can meet our goals with your help. (Same for taxes, right...?)"

and then under that she wrote:

"Thank you, Lord, it all worked out and wasn't that bad. Help me remember this for the next time. Thank you"

     The Lord, even though I did not verbally talk with Him about my worries, knew what I was feeling, knew my anxiousness and my stress. I believe He, by His design, helped me to find that particular page at the exact moment I needed it.

     I won't lie and say that day or even the rest of the week went without further stress, but I do know that I continued to remember this prayer from someone I didn't even know, and it helped me get through that week. I actually carried this magazine with me all week just so I could re-read it when I felt the stress coming on. (Notice in the picture of the magazine the piece of paper---that was my bookmark for that exact page.) And just like the author of that prayer, we too were able to make it through.

     We cannot forget that the Lord always knows what we need when we need it. And I too need to pray for His 'help to remember this for the next time'.

     The author also included this scripture in her journal:

HUMBLE YOURSELVES, THEREFORE, UNDER GOD'S ALMIGHTY HAND. THAT HE MAY LIFT YOU UP IN DUE TIME. CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU.       1 Peter 5:6-7 

     Amen!

12 Tags of 2014

January

February

March

April

I don't do scrapbooking on a regular basis anymore. When the preacher and I lived in Florida, I was designing pages for clients and then coming home and putting together a page or two for my personal albums. Now with work, laundry, dishes, bills, you know the many reasons we have in telling ourselves why we put off doing the things we love in order to get done the necessities of life.

One day I was searching the web and came across Tim Holtz' blog. Tim has been doing the 12 Tags of .... for several years and I had heard of them but never really got into making them. This year, though, I read what he said on his post regarding his January 2014 tag -- "I don't try to discover a new and exciting technique every month, or to make something never before seen. What I make sure to do is just spend time in my studio every month making a new tag to enjoy the creative process."

That is what I miss, the 'creative process'. So, for the year of 2014, I'm going to be following Tim's tags and making my own. (That is what he is asking people to do, make their own based on his tags.) This way, at least, once a month I will be spending time enjoying the creative process!

Of course, his tags are made with all of his product. I don't have a lot of the Tim Holtz/Ranger products, so I'll be making mine out of the supplies I have on hand.

Here is my take on January - April 2014 tags. (I'm 2 months behind, I know! I didn't start until last month.)

I hope you enjoy! And if you're putting off doing what you love, well, just stop it! and start giving yourself some time each week or each month to enjoy your creative process!

Be sure to check out Tim's blog to see his originals.

Mary, Martha, Who Am I?

Minister's wives sometimes are expected to be the women who are the Martha's in their churches. We are expected to be the person who heads up the Women's Ministry, the Women's Bible Study Group, the meals for the family reception after a funeral, Sunday School lessons and, not so long ago, we were expected to play the piano. These expectations may be even more prevalent in small town churches.

What the people don't understand is that this woman who comes with the minister that has been hired, is someone who has strengths and weaknesses. She may be good at some things and not so good at others. We, as minister's wives are expected to be the Martha of the church because a church really doesn't like to have a Mary as their minister's wife. They want to see her at work.

Me, I'm a Martha, I know I am. But....that doesn't mean I do all things well, nor does it mean I am comfortable doing some things either. I do not really do well in the forefront. I prefer to be in the background. I enjoy working with computers, I enjoy the organizational end of a project. I have tried teaching Bible studies and leading retreats but that is not who I am. (Although, sometimes I wish I could have these talents.)

I wish I could do better at just being a Mary. Sometimes the preacher and I will go to a convention or even to another worship service. Am I sitting there taking in the Word that is being preached? No, I'm looking around, checking out the brochures and bulletin, the power point, and anything else they might be doing differently than we are at our church. I'm thinking about how I can use the ideas I'm getting from all of these things and take them back to our church and improve upon our bulletins, our power point, etc., etc.

How do you shut it off? How do you just relax and let God take over? This is something I think a lot of us Martha's struggle with.  

If you are someone from a church who has a minister's wife who is more of a Mary, then thank God for her. Don't try to make her into someone she is not. "She has chosen the good portion," as Jesus says in Luke 10.42, "and it will not be taken from her."

But, if you have a minister's wife who is a Martha, be in prayer for her, asking the Lord to help her slow down, to quiet her mind, and to show His Grace in that quiet place.

New Name, New Post, New Beginnings

I have decided to give this blog thing another try. 

I saw that someone on Pinterest had pinned the picture of the butcher block table the preacher and I had made, and I had posted the pictures of the table here on my blog. So that made me check back on my blog. I couldn't believe it had been that long since I had posted anything. So it got me thinking.....let's try this again.

My old address of my blog was Linda's basement scraps and it is no longer relevant. My son came up with the name because, at the time, I had a scrapbooking room in our unfinished basement. After my mother-in-law passed away, we all went through a bit of depression (she lived with us at the time). Going down into the basement was not something I enjoyed any longer. So I began bringing a few things upstairs. Little by little, I have moved things into baskets, boxes, just anywhere I can. I now am working from my kitchen table. Back to the place where I began scrapbooking 19 years ago. I enjoy it more, I'm with my family, not alone in a dingy basement.

I have changed the name to The Preacher and I. This new name is more generic. I have decided to post more than just scrapbooking and crafts. I would like to post more of my thoughts on Bible Studies, scriptures, life events, etc. I will also post about my new adventures in art journaling, painting, and scrapbooking too.

Hopefully I can get on here two to three times a week. I did enjoy blogging before and I have missed it.
I don't have any followers at this point, but that's okay. Sometimes it's good to just write things down.

If you are reading this, I hope you will continue to look me up once in awhile. If you see something on here that you like, be sure to leave me a comment, pin it, or you can like me on facebook.

So here's to a new beginning!

Vacation Mini Album

We just recently returned from a vacation/conference trip to Orlando, Florida to attend the North American Christian Convention. We had a great time at the convention and we were able to reconnect with a lot of friends who we haven't seen in so long. We also were able to drive down to Hialeah/Miami to reconnect with our best friends, Alvaro & Dennisse. We had a great time seeing them, eating Dennisse's Puerto Rican food, playing tennis with Alvaro and just sitting around and catching up.

Before we left I made this travel journal/mini album to take with me. I made it out of an old book that I had laying around the house. I cut papers to fit and made pocket pages so that I could insert travel brochures, etc. I like how it turned out and will probably try to make one for each vacation we take from now on.

I really like making mini albums, they don't seem to be as stressful as one big album. They can be strictly a journal or you can add pictures to them to record your vacation not only in words but in photos.

I hope you enjoy!

Old Book Mini-Album

A friend of mine asked if I would make her a small album that she could store/display all of her cards (birthday, anniversary, etc.). So this is what I came up with.
I have been seeing on the internet how you can make a mini-album by using an old book. Check here for one of the blogs that I follow, she makes several albums by using old books.
So I went to our local thrift store and found this book for $1.00. I thought the title on the spine was a good fit for the kind of album she was looking for.
I then took out all of the pages on the inside, leaving only the hardback cover. (you can either save the pages to use again for another project or just throw them away.) Then I embellished the front and back. I used two rings to bind the book. (you can find these at an office supply store.) I used grommets to help make the holes sturdier. (the grommets I used I found a Joan Fabrics in the sewing department. they are longer than the grommets I had bought at a scrapbook supply store.)
I also made dividers, this way she can organize her cards accordingly.
When I gave it to her she was very much surprised. She said she thought I would just put a couple rings into the top of 2 pieces of card stock and call it good. You're kidding right? No it has to look pretty.

(Sorry about this picture, it was right side up when I downloaded it.)