For Love of the Game

This week the boys and I are in Texas for Spring Break.  Our break is late...really late.  But the nice thing about that is that we're the only ones here that are on break now, so no crowds anywhere.  Looking forward to a fun week with family and friends...missing B and wishing he was here with us. 

It's been awhile since I've really felt stirred up about anything.  Since I felt that I had anything to write about.  But being back in our home state this weekend, surrounded by the near-constant news stories about opening day of baseball and all the Hamilton drama...well, let's just say I'm feeling inspired. ;)  Typically I'm itching to be at Opening Day for my beloved Texas Rangers.  This year I was okay with not being there.  Not to say I liked missing the game...I love every chance to be at the stadium.  It's magical. But this time was different.

Baseball.  It's in our blood.  Both sides of my family~ my Dandy (who, if I could brag about him for a minute, was asked to come to the St. Louis Cardinal's spring training to pitch. His father's negative reaction led him to join the Army instead...which was a blessing b/c it led him to meet my Momo, marry her, and start a family....but seriously.  How cool is that?!?) grew up playing with his brothers on their farm.  My dad? Amazing.  My cousins on both sides? Studs. :) Brian's dad played on a championship team, and it was B's favorite sport to play growing up (and still is now)....he's greatness too.  I have many happy memories of backyard ball games with my family, and played softball growing up.  So yes...it's in our blood.  And while we have never forced our boys to love or play it, I think it's just "in" them too.  They can't help it. ;)

When Hunter (pictured here at age 2) heard the news that his favorite player (Josh Hamilton) had accepted the offer to play for the Angels, he was heartbroken.  Yes, my 6-yr-old sobbed.  For him, it was personal. At first he was angry at him, but after a few days to process the news, he came to me and said he was going to be ok with it. Then a couple weeks later he asked if he could have an Angels shirt (with Hamilton's name and number on the back) and hat for his birthday.  It was the only thing he asked for.  As his parents, and fellow fans, we too were sad. We wanted Hamilton to stay with the Rangers.  And buying that shirt for Hunter felt weird.  And wrong. What were we supposed to do?  Tell him no, that he wasn't allowed to be a fan anymore?  That would be ridiculous.  So...a couple clicks later on Amazon, and his gift was on its way.  When Hunter opened the shirt and hat on his birthday, he lit up. He wanted to wear it right away.  And I watched him, the one who had so passionately mourned the loss of his baseball hero to another team, make a complete turnaround.  

And something clicked with me.

 As a mom, it's my job to teach the boys a never-ending list of things.  How to choose right from wrong. The importance of loving and accepting others. How to share, to be hard workers, to be kind to everyone, to always do your best. To forgive when others say or do something wrong or hurt us. To be patient. And the list goes on and on. And on. 

What blows me away is how very much they continue to teach me.

 Tonight we were watching the 3rd game in the Rangers/Angels series.  Hunter was sitting front and center,and I was just a few feet away from him. I watched as he saw Hamilton come up to bat.  Hunter sat up straight, his face lit up as Hamilton squared up to the plate.  And then I watched that same little face fall as he started to listen to the (ridiculously loud) booing come from the television. He didn't understand what in the world was going on, and you could see the hurt and confusion on his face.  He just wanted to watch his favorite player hit the ball.  That was it. He has no idea what is being said in the papers, online, on Facebook....he just wanted to watch a ballgame. And as his mom, I wanted to protect him from the ugliness he was watching on tv. I wanted to help him understand why it was happening....but I found it hard to put the right words together.  How exactly do you explain to a kindergartner that a bunch of grownups are saying a bunch of dumb, mean stuff to each other, and the fans at the game wanted to make sure Hamilton knew that he was unwelcome there?  I wasn't sure, so I smiled at him and told him it was okay to cheer for Josh and hope he crushed the ball. 

 My personal feelings? They go something like this: It's tough to be a Josh Hamilton fan right now. He has said some stupid stuff in the past several weeks. His filter needs some work, and my honest opinion is that he needs to close his mouth, because it's just making it worse.  And while I agree with some of what he said, it doesn't mean he should have said it.  That whole "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" saying? That one's important to remember, no matter what. At the same time,  I'm embarrassed to be a Ranger fan...more embarrassed of that if I'm being honest. The words that were being shouted at him, the signs in the stands that I read...they were brutal. My hope for these games was that the fans would be inspired to cheer as loud as they could for the Rangers.  Not that they would throw the very things Josh Hamilton probably hates the most about himself right back in his face. Not that they would show more passion than I've ever seen at any other game, in effort to make the guy they've turned against feel unwanted.  He got the message, I promise.   What bothers me the most was the example that was set for my boys tonight as they watched the game.  

Do you know what inspired me tonight though? It was after Hamilton hit a double and later was standing at 2nd base, talking to Elvis Andrus.  It was obvious that all of this nonsense hadn't impacted their relationship.  That to them it was all part of the game...part of their job. I know I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear that they were having a moment.  Something I hope encouraged Josh's heart. And Elvis' too...I'm sure it was distracting and disheartening for all of the players to have to focus on the game with that going on.

And watching that took me back to what Hunter had taught me back in January. 

Change is inevitable. Unfortunately, so is disappointment. How we handle that disappointment?  That's huge.  Learning to let things roll is something I'm striving for.  Passion is important.  Being passionate about a sport, a hobby, a team...that can be fun. But being passionate about giving grace and kindness and love?  Even when it's hard and it doesn't seem deserving?  That's what it's all about.

Yes, I love this game.

And yes, I'm somehow managing to be a Texas Rangers fan while at the same time being a Josh Hamilton fan.  

Even if it is a confusing feeling right now....lol

 Because he's a great ball player.  One of the greatest of all time.  He's not perfect, and there have been times he's choked when we've really needed him to pull through.  There are so many more great moments though, and I'm choosing to remember all he did to help make his time with the Rangers incredible. But it's his story of grace and forgiveness that made me a fan 5+ years ago, and I'm not about to jump off the bandwagon because things have gotten complicated.  It's my hope that he turns things around and uses that for good again, no matter what uniform he's wearing.

But no matter what, at the end of the day....

.....it's just baseball, right? 

 

And to quote the great Ron Washington, "That's how baseball go."

So let's all take a deep breath and move on.  It's time.

For love of the game.  Yes.

Freshening Up

Yesterday the renovations on the inside of our house were finished, and we are so excited, and so happy with the results.  When we moved into this house 3 years ago, we were in love with the floor plan and the neighborhood, not so much in love with the inside of the house.  But B and I are a good team, and thankfully we have very similar taste, so deciding what we wanted to do was easy.  Being able to implement those ideas required patience, but it was definitely worth the wait.

We had the hardwood floors replaced (Hi Addy!;)

The counter tops were replaced with a solid surface material called Hi-Macs, and we re-tiled the backsplash ourselves.  B and I had a cute little helper. :)

 Last, we had the cabinets repainted.  When we painted the kitchen green after first moving in, it was with the intention of painting the cabinets black.  This before pic is not great, but hopefully you can tell that they were a natural finish, which wasn't the look we were going for. 

 I have to admit that the kitchen is my new favorite place to be now. :) 

 Spring is trying to make itself known here, but winter isn't ready to let go yet.  I thought maybe making a little something new for the front door might inspire the seasons to get themselves straightened out.  We'll see.

For those of you wondering about our Be the Good challenge, please know that it is still on.  Because I'm a dreamer and my dreams aren't always all that practical, we had to scale things back a bit.  Instead of one day full of acts of kindness, we decided it was best to do one thing a month.  That way more of us were able to participate, and we get to spread the love on a regular basis.

For this month's project, we decided to feed our little birdie friends.  This winter is holding on for dear life, and we thought maybe those little guys were needing a little extra help. 

Last Friday several of our group got together outside and made these bird feeders out of apple slices, peanut butter, and birdseed.  We then took them to a nearby park and let the kids run off some energy while decorating the trees with their feeders. :)

Hopefully the local birds have full tummies now. :) We'll be planning our April project soon.

Last Saturday was opening season for baseball....how much we love this time of year. :)

And then we headed to church for the big Outdoor Expo that my hubs heads up each year...so fun!

This year the head football coach for the Georgia Bulldogs, Mark Richt, was the guest speaker, and the boys (especially Hud) were so excited to meet him.  Coach Richt has a wonderful testimony and it was so cool to hear his story.  Made us love those dawgs even more. ;) Hud was able to get his football signed and it now proudly sits in a special display case on his dresser. And now his questions about starting tackle football in the fall have gotten a little more persistent. ;)  I think it's time.

The Be the Good Challenge: Details

Who's ready to spread a little love next month? :)

Earlier this month in this post and then again in this one I talked about an idea that I read from another blogger who did 40 acts of kindness in one day to celebrate her 40th birthday.  Her story inspired me so much that I decided to do something similar.   After talking to my Bible study girls and my sister Reagan, I was encouraged to really go for it.  What can I say? Go big, or go home, right?  ;) 

Absolutely.

I've talked and written a lot about why we're doing this, but not much about how.  
Here's the how:

The details, or how we are doing this, at least: There are seven of us here locally who are going to work together.  We chose Saturday, Feb. 23 and are going to make a day of it.  Each of our families are responsible for choosing one thing to do for someone in the community, preparing anything needed and funding it.  It DOES NOT have to be an expensive thing....I've said several times that so often it's the little things that make the biggest impact, and I firmly believe that.  But the big things are cool too, so I'm not putting any $$ rules on anything.  That is up to the individual.  My family has chosen to take pizza and brownies to the fire station up the street. Why? Because my boys think firefighters are awesome and helpful, and who doesn't like pizza and brownies? ;) As a group we chose a couple of things to do with all of our kiddos as well~ we're going to make little bird feeders (sliced apples spread with peanut butter and dipped in bird seed) to hang in the trees at our local park and each of them are going to choose a book at the book store to donate to our library. There are LOTS of ideas out there: paying for the person in line behind you at the drive-thru, giving a gift card to a restaurant as someone is walking in, taking bagels and coffee to your co-workers, or your children's teachers, offering to babysit a friend's child so she can get a little alone time....these are just a few.


I can't wait to find out what my friends have decided to do.  And my sister and her friends have put together a group back in TX...this is going to be fun!  Think about it: spending ONE day blessing the socks off of unsuspecting people everywhere.  I love it.  Big things, little things.  People in need, people who aren't (as my sister said, it will be fun surprising people who aren't necessarily in need because hopefully they will see how fun it is, how much it means, and will be encouraged to do the same for someone else). All of us getting out of ourselves (our phones, computers, etc) to do for others.  To show people that yes, there really is good...you just have to pay attention.  Except for these unsuspecting people we're targeting later this month.  They're about to be blindsided.  In a good way. ;)

The graphic above is free for your use.  Our group plans to print copies of it to attach to our acts of kindness, and we encourage you do to the same.  If you click on it and save it, you should be able to reprint it with no problem. If you do have trouble, let me know and I can email it to you.

Big picture (or my big dream): while I love the idea of choosing a date and working together all day, my hope is that this starts creating a different mindset for the everyday.  One where we are always on the lookout for how we can help someone else.  Whether it's picking up something a stranger drops and handing it back to him/her, giving a encouraging word and smile to the new mom who's struggling with a screaming baby at the grocery store, or going to visit a widow who might be lonely....the possibilities are endless.  And they all will make a difference.

We would LOVE for any of you who are interested to join us.  If you're local, you can join us, or form your own group.  If you're not local, you can put together your own group, or work alone, with your family, etc. If February 23 doesn't work for you, pick a day that does.  There really are no "rules" necessarily...these are just guidelines.  All I ask is that if you decide to join us that you let me know in a comment below here, or comment on the FB link to this post.  I'd love to know who is doing this with us and to be able to pray for you.

This is going to be big, people.  Real big. 

"Love is breaking through." -Chris Tomlin (from "Shepherd Boy," Burning Lights)

It is.  Just wait and see....you're going to make a difference.  Be the good.

just call me polly

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious~ the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies."

 Philippians 4:8-9 (The Message)

Ever have those days when you're hit again and again with things you need to be doing differently, or something you missed, or realized that there was something really fantastic that you know you need to do? That was last Sunday for me. Serious revelation. Times 2. Between that and the sermon (that I SO needed to hear) Dr. Stanley preached, it was quite a Sunday. Made my heart full.  And my brain hurt. ;)  

I keep thinking about how bad things have seemed the past few months. It's something that could be blown off, explained away with the excuse that I'm just getting older so I'm more aware, or maybe that because of social media I'm just hearing about a lot more bad.  Those two things might be true....but do you know what else? For all the bad and yuck I've been reading/watching, I'm starting to see just as much happy.  So many people rising up and deciding to do something about the hurt they are seeing.  It's pretty amazing. :)

One of my favorite blogs to read is Enjoying the Small Things. If you haven't discovered the greatness that is this girl, her sweet family, and her perspective on life, then do yourself a favor and hop on over there.  After you're done here, of course. ;)  What I love about Kelle is how positive and happy she is....even if things aren't. She's the poster child for making lemonade out of lemons, and I love it.

Ever since I was little my friends and family have lovingly teased me about my "everything is rainbows and sunshine" ways.  I've been called "Pollyanna" (which was, and still is one of my favorite movies--remember The Glad Game?;) or Polly Sunshine at different times for as long as I can remember.  Usually it gets on my nerves a little, but lately?  Lately I've embraced it. Happy is good.  Happy is fun.  Happy helps make the bad a little less bad.  It changes your perspective. It helps you find the good when there doesn't seem to be any anywhere. It takes the focus off the yuck and forces you to think differently.  Is it always easy? Of course not.  And there are many instances when it is very difficult to find anything good in our circumstances. Please know my heart here: I'm not trying to make light of anybody's troubles.  People are hurting and broken and suffering everywhere. Everywhere. They need help. They need love.  They need to know that things are going to be okay.  That someone cares. That they aren't alone.  At the same time, encouragement doesn't come from adding to the dark clouds...it comes in the sunshine.

Last week I was inspired by another blogger and something really cool that she did with her friends for her 40th birthday.  I encourage you to read it yourself, but to summarize, she and several friends spent an entire day doing 40 random acts of kindness all over her town.  They got really creative and I loved reading all of their ideas. 

So that got me thinking about my life and what I'm doing with it.  Wondering what kind of difference I'm making, what my kids are learning from me, what else we could be doing....and my brain went into overdrive. It kept me awake the next several nights, which if you know me and how much sleep I require to function, was bad. ;)

But it turned into a great thing.  I'm jumping on the "Kindness Inspires Kindness" bandwagon. Right now it's in the planning stages....I shared the idea with my Bible study girls and they're all in as well.  We're talking through the details, making it our own, and we're going to extend the challenge to anyone who wants to join us.

Because I want these 3 loves that God has so graciously (and undeservedly) blessed me with to know what it's like to actually be the hands and feet of Jesus.  To serve, to love, to help.  To give hope when there seems to be none.  Because it's up to us.  It's what we are here for.

This guy that I get to love and do life with every day has inspired me as well.  He's ministering to people at our church and around the city every day.  I love getting to minister alongside him, and that is incredible.  But I have a heart for the community surrounding where we live (as in our neighborhood/community, which is a little ways from our church) as well.

It was about a year ago that I wrote this post.  Yes, it's about my buddy, SpongeBob. ;) If you didn't read it back then, I ask you to read it now, if for no other reason, so you can confirm that I am indeed not crazy and have a reason for why our family watches this yellow guy on tv. And for why he was the beginning of this Kindness Inspires Kindness challenge that is currently in the works.

While I'm working out the details of our kindness challenge, I want to encourage you to do a couple things.  First, pray about whether or not you should join us. I sincerely hope you will. :) Second, think about what it is that inspires you...that is, what helps motivate you to reach out and encourage others.

What inspires me?

Funky-cool-whimsical art.  This piece is very me, and I wish I could say I made it...but I didn't.  Christy Tomlinson did, and she is AmAzInG.  Truly. 
Love her work.

The beach is another one....really longing to be back there right now.

Even better?  Ice cream with my boys on the beach. ;)

Long conversations with my boys, solving the world's problems. ;) They keep me grounded while at the same time reminding me that we can do anything we set our minds to.

 Getting to know (and love on) my boys' friends....it gives a new perspective on life and how others think.  And it helps me learn even more about my littles, and hopefully helps make their friendships grow strong.

 Little things (like this happy face bracelet Hunter made me) that remind me I am loved.  The little things can make a big impact.

Piglet totally gets it. ;)

Think about inspires you...what makes you feel happy and content.  And then decide how you can use that happiness for good.  For others' good.  That's the challenge.

Below is the artwork for our kindness challenge.  We're going to give it our own name, continuing our "Be the Good" theme from a previous post.  This will soon be available to save and print, but I will explain the how and whys in the next post with all the other details.

I'm going to need your help to make this happen....to make it great.  And I'm believing that if God has called me (us?) to do this that He is going to show up in a big way.  He will. :) A quote from the service last week, "Obey God and watch Him work" (thanks, Dr. Stanley!) has stuck with me this week.  I've been challenged in new ways to have a faith like never before.  I'm trusting God to do just this, to work....because He will. 

Excited about what's to come...the details post will go out this week.

"Love is breaking through."

                     ~Chris Tomlin

Be the Good

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  Proverbs 4:23

My sister and I were out shopping this afternoon, and we went into this fab little shop in downtown Roanoke, called Addicted.  Inside I found this fantastic shirt with Proverbs 4:23 on it.  This is one of my favorite verses anyway, but lately I keep seeing it in different, unexpected places.  And that makes me smile....more proof that God is in the details. He shows up in fun places where He knows I'll see Him. :)

Reminders like these have been good for my soul, especially here lately.  Things seem bad.  Things ARE bad.  I normally don't watch many news programs because it's nothing but doom and gloom and only causes worry; these past couple weeks have been so much worse.  On Monday I started watching Good Morning America and found myself sobbing as I watched a sweet couple talking about their 6-yr-old daughter, Jessica, one of the victims from Sandy Hook Elementary.  I don't remember ever sobbing like that over a news story....this is one of the things about the ridiculous amount of media we're exposed to every day.  It's shoved down our throats so often that we're numb.  You hear about killings and tragedy and death and destruction so much that it starts to lose it's meaning.  THAT is tragic.  But this story about Jessica Rekos turned me into a sobbing mess....which is exactly what I needed to be.  And I found that I couldn't turn the tv off, as much as I wanted to. What I needed to do was mourn with that couple who lost a daughter the same age as my youngest son.  They deserved that much. So I did.  And then I tried to go about my day, and found that I really couldn't.  I was worried about my babies who were all at school.  I was worried about my husband who was at work at church.  I was worried that something might happen to me while I was out.  I was consumed with worry.  We're told in Matthew 6:34 not to worry about tomorrow, that tomorrow will worry about itself.  That's a personal struggle for me, something I battle with every single day.  I wish I was laid back and relaxed, secure and trusting, but I'm not.  I want to be...and I'm going to keep working on it until I am. But in the meantime?

We're in TX this week for Christmas...it's good to be in home. :) I've been lovin' on my baby niece and nephew since we got here, soaking up their yumminess and making sure they are well stocked up on Aunt Jac love.  I'm crazy about those babies.  Sat with Finn in my lap teaching him how to play Angry Birds on my phone....holding that little finger as it pulled the slingshot back and let it go, listening to his little laugh as the birds crashed into the pigs, and then we'd do it all over again. And again. :)

And then I rocked this little girl and put her down for a nap.

Typically her routine is read a book, rock a little bit, then night night.  But I couldn't put her down.  It wasn't long, after lots of talking about all kinds of different things, solving the worlds' problems ;) that she fell asleep.  And I rocked and rocked that sweet girl, marveled at how beautiful she is with those long eyelashes and tiny little punkin nose, her pretty little mouth.  I thought about how far she and her brother have come in the year (and a couple months) since Reagan and Jon first became their mommy and daddy.  Their chatter about things (after not speaking a single word when they first came), the way they both give and receive love, their senses of humor (they're both hilarious), how smart they are....they're amazing. And I started thinking about what their life was like before, and what it is like now.  That they were rescued in every sense of the word. That because Reagan and Jon were faithful to obey what God was calling them to do, to take the hard road to find these two...well it's nothing short of a miracle. And it's good.  It's very good. In a world full of hurt and pain and yuck....there's good.  And although our prayer is that they will have no memory of their life before, I'm sure if they did they would tell their parents how happy they were that they fought for the good and brought them home.

I bought this necklace the other day...something I rarely do.  Buy myself jewelry, I mean. But there's a little something I've been praying for and I know it's going to take a miracle to make it happen.  Thankfully I know a God who is really into miracles, so I'm trusting in His timing, believing that if His will is to answer a yes, He will.  And if not it will be because He has something better.  Hopefully one day soon I'll get to share that prayer with you.  We will see. But I had another reason for buying this necklace....I need the reminder.  I need to wear it close to my heart, because I'm having a lot of trouble remembering right now that miracles do happen.  That there is good.  Even though I know better....that if you're paying attention you will see it everywhere. 

There's these 3 boys that Brian and I had the awesome privilege of bringing into this world. That God saw fit to trust to us. It's scary raising children today.  There are so many things I want to protect them from. You can refer back to all my previous posts about scooping them up and going to live on a farm or in the mountains somewhere, far away from everything...lol. But I can't keep them in my bubble.  It's not what we were put on this earth for.  And the thing I've been kicking around in my head these past couple of weeks is quite easy, really.  It's simply this:

It's up to us to be the good.

Living with 3 little boys and their Daddy...well, there's lot of talk of super heroes, the bad guys, the good guys.  In our house the good guys always win. Always. And in my (somewhat delusional;) world where everything is rainbows and puppies, sunshine and butterflies, everything is happy.  Happy is the norm. Usually. Even when it's not easily seen, you can find it somewhere.  You just have to look.  And I know that happy isn't really the norm all the time. You have to chose the happy. It doesn't always come easily. 

I was mulling all of this over during church today, listening to a great message very relevant to this very topic, and God brought this verse to mind: 

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even when it seems impossible not to.  We are to stay focused on the end....on what's ahead.  And even now when our troubles seem like anything BUT light and momentary, the hope is that someday when life in this world is over, when we get to meet our Savior face to face....well, none of that will matter anymore.  And it really will be rainbows and puppies. Forever and ever. ;)

But in the meantime? In the meantime I'm not letting the bad guys win.  I'm going to fight for what is good. For what is right. I'm going to work hard to be a light in what can be a really dark place. To show kindness. To smile.  To be on the lookout for the needs around me and to be brave enough to help where and when I can.  To keep going about what God has called me to be here for, and to teach our boys to do the same.  Even if we're scared.  And tired.  And it seems too hard.  Because it will seem too hard sometimes. But it will be so worth it. 

It will. I promise. :) 

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you WILL have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world."  John 16:33