Thanks Much!

I love my Christmas presents all!

But I do love the thematic virtue of the College woman’s gifts! 2 years ago it was Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life, Last Year it was “Life With Father” and this year a NEW vacuum.

The Story of my North Carolina life…

One night as I waited for your father at 2 am in the parking lot of his job.  I dreamed that Clarence Day Sr. was cleaning the steps to heaven and they reached all the way down to the church on that street.  I was amazed that he, Clarence (as I now call him) didn’t stop cleaning to talk to me.  He simply said, as the woman in the movie about his life said, “this is how Our Dear Lord likes them kept”.  Cleaning the steps to heaven was his job, but he wasn’t the only one, He went about to tell me about the evangelistic nature of wifing and how his soul was nearly lost, were it not for the mercy and grace of the beloved creature who had become his wife on earth and hadn’t given up on him.  She prayed and prayed and I am grateful eternally!  I never thought of wifing as evangelistic, but from then on, I haven’t looked at my stairs or my movie of Life with Father the same.

Cleaning the stairs, this Christmas seemed the completion of the story and it is my turn to tell you the importance of caring for all your loved ones by praying for their souls.  Let us not be happy to get to heaven alone and not have our loved ones there with us.  Pray for us.  Clean your stairs and be a witness for Jesus!

Cousin Karla is crazy about babies!

Truly my addiction is to interacting with babies.

I am reeling from withdrawal when babies are not in my minds grasp.  I used to see it in the eyes of my cousin Karla.  I never realized that it was contagious.  She called it visiting the cherubs.  since she never had baby sisters and brothers, it was clear that she had no instruction about the doctrine of TOTAL Depravity.  We humored her incessantly, trying to figure this woman out, who believed in heaven in the eyes of a baby.  To us they were demons!  She did teach us what she could see as a sibling outsider!  We started looking for the goodness that seemed so clear to her.  How come heaven comes out of them when she is here and hell when she leaves?  That is a question for a different observation.

She came over our house whenever there was a visitation of the stork!  She spent time with us and taught us to look at these demons as angels.  My husband won’t let me have anymore than 3 she told us.  Too bad, you would have been a wonderful mother of 20 or thirty children was our thought.  Instead she taught us to look at our lot in life with a bit of magic.  We recognized God’s blessing.  She didn’t have siblings.  We had them and we should be grateful.  I for one learned to be grateful and to stand tall in my responsibility of having them.  I learned to love them, inspite of the trouble and annoyance of them.

Go ahead, do smoke!  Have as many of my addictive chemicals (babies) as you possibly can and I will stand on the side and smell the beauty.  My mommy heeded her.  I heeded her and a couple of my siblings, as well let her smell the smoke of our over stuffed quivers.

We wanted to say, get rid of that +_+_+ husband and get one who will let you have them!  Eventually, she did get rid of him, but by that time 20 or 30 more children were out of the question.  Too bad!  we all said!  She would have realized that doctrine, after a while.  Total Depravity is definitely understood by siblings and parents of more than 4 or so children, if not the rest of us!

Were they all mistakes?  Not at all,  they were all answers to the deepest call of our clan, to study Heaven through the eyes of the babies that are given to us.  It took many years before I could see that in scripture.  The darkness of the cave of childrearing blinds you to the beauty of God’s presence that is with you, in that season.  Karla wasn’t blind to it!

About the Democratic Debate, last night~Get off your fatted 401K's and do something!

To say so little with so much time, is astonishing.

I watched with tepid anticipation of Bold and Sweeping ambitions guiding us into a positive vision of future events from the thinkers and political pundits.  Not So.  When in doubt say Trump, was what I heard.   

The people who think are shut down, by saying that is how Trump won.  Maybe so, but where are the bold and aggressive stances on the issues that matter.  2 or 3 issues were mentioned and few real solutions set forth.

it seems that they still don’t get it.  They are blaming people for not wanting anymore of this veiled elitism that has become the order of the day in Political pansying.   

The youngsters (youthful statesmen) who gave real and realistic proposals were shut down for long stories from the elder states people about what they would have done had they the time to have done it.  They’ve been given that time and they haven’t until now, taken up the tasks that they are talking about.  I think it means that they are incapable.  The less time that people were given and yet able to make their point and discuss the problem with a real and candid directness was refreshing.  The long stories are the problem, to my mind.  Don’t tell me stories about this or that person you know who hasn’t been able to find their solution.  Tell me the solution.

Are you going to tax people?  You don’t consider yourselves elitists because you don’t make 50million yet.  Balderdash.  You have made it.  Stop pretending that you are a regular person trying to get things done.  You are about continuing the status quo.  we Americans are not afraid of rich people saying I am rich and I am trying to carve a path for such thinking for everybody.  They have shut those voices down so much.  they don’t recognize the solution, because they are justifying their lifestyles without letting people know that they are rich.  Come On.

Let the people with real answers and bold amazing ideas talk and not these elitists educated ish.  who have the philosophy that all are poor who want to be poor.  If you did what I did, you wouldn’t be poor.  Lets bring in immigrants to show that off.  give them everything you haven’t had access to, so we can grow the party.  The boat is sinking!   We don’t know why.  Let's continue denying real Americans and start fresh with new Americans, To show the left behind poor how to do it.   Who is losing out to such policies?   FLINT, etc!!!

I say Delaney was the winner, who with less time said more than any on that stage.  It is time for a person with few words and much doing and right priorities of that which is at home to direct the narrative.   

It is lying when Donald Trump does it.  It is directing the narrative, when they say it!  Semanticists need not apply, should be on somebody’s advertisement for the application of Office of President.  It is time to pass the Torch, the torch of self fulfilling leadership.  All for us and the best for us and forget everybody else.  We get raises and We get health care and we get and live off the peoples taxes and offer them nothing but inviting the rest of the world in to prove that poverty is the poor’s fault!  

Get off your fatted 401 ks and do something!

Thought about daycare

When we delegate the care of our children in the early years, are we countering the training with greater parental interaction?

Are we aware of the spiritual dynamic of them being so intimately acquainted with people of questionable spiritual and character alignment with the mission of our family?  Are we resigning ourselves to what we have no choice in?

It should be an agreement of the corporate whole that certain things are self evident.  all men are created equal, but I don't want all of these equal men to affect my children in their formative years.  

we have a flood of access that our children must be protected from, that must be analyzed.   

Attitudes

Ideas

Intellect

Purpose

First, I want to talk about problem areas and what is a good fit and what is a poor fit, with regard to Daycare.

Happy teachers and happy children, not all of the time, but most of the time.  If you think that orderliness is more important than content, your choice might be changed by an occasional untidy access that you might find.

I would be more concerned, if my child was crying daily and having fearful dreams at home about coming to Daycare.  Why?  You have friends there.  you like your teacher don't you?  You are following the directions and enjoying your time, right?  Might be some questions that I would ask.   Are you afraid of someone or something there?

On the positive side:if my child is not reading at 3 or 4 and not recognizing their letters and numbers, etc.  don't forget that these scholastic achievements of Daycare are a relatively new phenomenon.  No one was tested to enter prek in 1965 when I went to Kindergarten.  

I wouldn't stress over these kinds of achievements in the early years, but on the other hand, if my child is showing academic prowess early, I would worry that his or her mind is not being challenged. Still, this wouldn't be in comparison to the other children but in comparison to himself.

How do we aim young scholars, in this day and age?  Where do we send them to stimulate their budding curiosities?  I would consider robotics camp in the summer time and trips to the library to show a three dimensional expression of knowledge,as opposed to setting them free on the Internet, unsupervised.  What are you thinking about and what do you want to read?  I would flood them with books and reference material about their interest and watch their interest.

My parents did do this.  I don't know how I got hold of books about Helen Keller and Hans Christian Anderson.  They were concerned about my myopic quests for more and more reading material.  It was crazy, how much I loved to read, but if I had been discouraged, by a teacher here or there who was anti reading and learning, I might not have continued. Nobody rebuffed me for writing my 8th grade thesis on Malcolm X.  I wasn't ridiculed or emotionally crushed by any teacher.  my father was the critic who I felt that I had to prove something to.  

I think that is important to give fathers the authority over their children.  I think that this is Gods way.  How can a man break free of the feminist a gender to disallow fatherly authority from the minds of children?  Taking your children's hands and guiding them through the minefields of current thought is most important for the fathered of this generation.  Watch the news with your little ones.  Talk about current events from your personal perspective and from your biblical perspective.  These things ar ether things God will judge you for, when you get to heaven.  Are you praying for the nation, in front of your children.  Do they know how you think?  They will have a hard time finding their own purpose in the world if their father is opaque in his expressions in the family.  These are the things that Clarence Day Jr. Found worthy of expression in LWF book.   My father hated any challenge on certain subjects and this is where I am like him and this is where I have prayed for God to change my tendency to become more like God.  We don't give them anything to try or stretch for if we only show them what we want them to see.  They must see redeemed humanity.

Do I miss God, as much as I miss Evie?

It is with great fondness that I remember some of the trips to Chowan and How God inhabited our fellowship in the car for hours on end. I think there was also a wonderful presence of God, when we traveled and were cooped up in the car for hours, when you were children. Now that you are a woman and the rest of my children nearly grown, my fellowship with you guys is something I miss, but God doesn't leave me, like you guys do. I just hope that you are aware of the presence of God for yourself and grow accustomed to seeking it in worship and the things that you do.

The Sense and Sensibility of the presence of God

Is it an evasive thing?

Do we hide our sense of hollowness, behind a veil of sacred pretense? Where are you God? Are you here with us? You said you would be with us when we gather? And yet is that the case? Still, we convince ourselves and connect in words only and not beseeching God to truly attend our gatherings. We stand like the emperor without his new clothes and pretend to be clothed.

“Could it be You make your presence known, so often by your absence?” Michael Card

Our children are laughing that we are continuing to gather with such an “invasive” absence of God’s presence. Do we implore Him to be with us, in our prayer meetings?” Chase we the almighty dollar so that we cannot attend anymore? It isn’t a priority. We know we will see Him on Sunday… We comfort ourselves. “He knows my heart”

Have you moved away, Lord?

You promised to inhabit our praise? Where are You, Lord?

I do not really feel bereft of the presence of God, but it is a great fear of mine to be insensible of the absence of God and truly deceived by my own religiosity. My practices replacing his presence. I think that is why He chose someone like Amos and someone like Obed Edom to be present with. There is no religious veil to cut through. I would want to be that way and not deceived by my own thoughts of religiousness, Nor the comparison of others with myself.

Forgive my making light of your presence, Lord. Forgive my acceptance of the status quo of your love and attention. Help me to know You in the reality of Your lifting Your people to greater usefulness in our nation and our world. For the Church’s Sake in Jesus’ Name, Amen

As Emily and you visit the Grand Canyon of American decision making...

Perhaps, DC is the place where we send our best talkers to learn how to monetize human life and make deals for their constituents. We have all decided that the only people who are unrepresented are the unborn, at this juncture of history. If we survive this calculation is up to us. Will we fight for the truth that they are people too, or will we continue to barter the future adinfinitum, so to speak.

A part of our country that is always under the spotlight of public scrutiny and paying the price of God's judgment is a spectacle, of course. I think that there are different places in the country that have claims to fame. DC is the hollowness of the hole in the ground of the conscience.

If I make my bed in hell, Thou art there! God's word reminds us.

So we needn't be afraid of being there. But I must be afraid of the mentality that every person has a monetization. How much is that person's vocabulary worth? Etc. Are they using it up to the level of the parity of their deductions? All of that is in the air in DC. You needn't enter into the discourse with it. You only need to pray that God will touch and bring the valleys up to ground level.

In my imagination, every State negotiates with the heavenlies for the trophy of God's presence. Do we want some of His presence? Do we turn from including Him in our ways? We will be shocked, when we get to heaven and find that we had just about as much of God as we ever wanted, both in our personal life and in our corporate "State".

Don't Drink the Water!

Are you reeling in the yeast???

Today was a quizzical day for my bakers quiver.

Somedays it is a yeast bread day and somedays are flat bread days. Today was a cinnamon roll and pizza dough day. As I walk through the store, it is as though women talk to me from the air in the store who have long gone before us. Do you know that this many choices in the store were never possible in any other generation, they ask me? I know, I know is what I often say. Today's suggestion from the great beyond was curly kale and bok choy yeast bread. It is just as ugly as it sounds. I bulleted my vegetable catch in my Nutribullet mixer and went to work making my interesting, if unappetizing concoction. I tasted the juice from my veggies and insisted it needed some sugar to make it work. I added sugar and much less of the concoction than I had earlier thought I would. Celery would have gentled the mixture, I think. Less of the deep green and bitterness, but I used the concoction as I said.

6 cinnamon rolls, 6 large bread rolls and a rectangular pizza came out of the dough.

Reeling in the pounds will be the result, if I eat it all myself. I shared some.I'll let you know if it makes us poop.

More on poop...

She seemed commander of the poop!  She celebrated their transition to a less sticky process of diaper changing...

She knew what to feed them to firm it all up, etc,.  I hadn't noticed those details, but I found myself admiring some certain types of poop and disdaining others....

The Adventists had the best poop, in my opinion. It was like little marbles that you never got on yourself at all.  I liked that better than the mushy stuff...

Parents sent the food, but if they didn't Mrs. Janet kept a stash for them.. Get them off the breast milk as early as possible and let's speed up the changing process.  Not my sentiments, exactly but I understood why people looked at nursing mothers with an incredulity of their tolerating that soft stuff for so long...  It is a lot different when it is your breast milk and your child's soft stuff...

the study of poop?

This is my fourth year in the study of infant care. I was in awe of Ms. Janet, initially. She seemed in command of her ship, so diligently. Some might have considered her a control freak. I simply loved to watch what her focus was. So much of childcare is unpredictable, that she considered controlling what could be controlled as her mission. In my years of mothering, I must say that I never thought of it that way.

Her very first consideration of the child was the poop. It is disgusting. I agree that poop is disgusting. But the difference between nursing poop and bottle poop is uncontrollable. She didn't like the changing process, but she would gird herself up as a warrior and change them in and amazing rhythm.

She seemed to have a party when the child no longer had that yucky kind of poop. I had never noticed that there had been a process to the poop. Early harder poops that can be handled easily became my goal, also. Less time wiping and fewer soft poops as possible became the goal. That became my focus amidst the mayhem of infant care.

Keeping them from hurting eachother and learning how they communicate was a close second to not having to spend ten or fifteen minutes changing a poopy baby. I really don't mind the changing diaper process persay, but children have a way of using that time to get into mischief. I saw that.

Today I thought about that because my poop was unusually sinking to the bottom of the toilet and I consider that I may have a new season of my own poop to consider. That is why I am telling you so!

The most important math for your life! The Math of Comfort Foods!

This is Living!

Finding the perfect comfort food for the malady. The essence of feminity is which of your wiles is needed to heal the sickness in front of you. Family teaches you about the reality of oneness and how your participation can bring strength to the hardest circumstance. There is little more comforting that you can do than putting on a bit of makeup and bringing a fresh batch of cookies to the party.

Healthy food is for when all is well. When the rug comes out from under everybody a pie is in order! I love the premise of this book "Pie Squared". I want it as a provocative tool to continue the ministry of comfort that is the motherhood ministry. All of her daughters, meaning you, better catch it too.