The book of Ruth is one of my all-time favorites because it is all about a woman’s loyalty, determination and capacity for provision.  I have loved it so much so that inscribed on my husband’s wedding ring is “Where you go, I will go”.  And with almost 5 moves in 9 years, I think I am keeping that promise!

It is a story of Ruth, a widow in a famine land, who receives the goodness and kindness of Boaz, the owner and harvester of a plentiful field.  Rahab is Boaz’ mother and so Ruth becomes part of the genealogy of King David as well as Jesus.  The plot is artfully constructed and exhibits a pronounced belief in the complete, but sometimes hidden provision of God that works in ordinary events.  Brief as this book is and simple as it’s story, it is remarkably rich in its examples of faith, patience, culture & industry of the time, and kindness which is an indication of how God takes care of those who put their trust in Him.

Living freely and lightly…..that’s what I’m longing for in this time of change and busyness.  Fortunately, I have a great husband, family and friends who show me the “unforced rhythms of grace” which is a great skill resulting from knowledge of God’s unconditional love.  I am looking at my children to see how they take the “real rest” and enjoy themselves in every step they take.

I have been reading the book of Joshua in which a woman named Rahab is discussed and is instrumental in saving God’s people by one simple act of hiding two godly men.

She was listed as a “harlot” or “prostitute in the Bible.  But she is a true hero to me because of her actions in the face of adversity.  In the New Testament, Rahab is mentioned as a great example of faith and the book of Matthew aligns her lineage to Jesus.  She is an example that God doesn’t just look at what we’ve done in the past (good or bad), but what we are capable of doing in our present & future.  Sometimes, it’s just one small act of openness and strength to go against the culture that changes our future.

To my wonderful husband who was missing signs of spring!

As most military families know, friends become extremely vital for survival, happiness and adaptability.  Unlike most situations where one can count on family, friends of choice, circumstance, commonality take that role for us.  And for me, I have begun to see friendship in a completely different way.  Because I know my time is limited in a location, I tend to be a good judge of character and get deeply connected quickly with a few people.  For instance, my one friend who I call “granola” is so interesting to this city girl.  She has chickens in her backyard, buys raw milk from a local pasture, only buys from Farmer’s Markets, consults chiropractic care and has a homeopath!  I love her!  She has been so inspirational to me and I have learned so much from her.  She is also a great mother spiritually and practically so it’s been encouraging for me.  And she led me to a great juicer which has been life changing!

And there is my other good friend who I call the “Wilderness Explorer”.  She received her undergraduate degree in ”Recreation Management with an emphasis in outdoor leadership/outdoor education”.  Wow, I didn’t even know that degree existed.  So basically, if you had to be stranded in the middle of nowhere, you’d want to be with this chic.  She is so kind and funny.  She holds her kids’ birthday parties in the middle of nowhere with tractor rides, tents, fire pits where she makes s’mores and desserts over the fire.  Get this?  Her goody bag was a hobo handkerchief on a stick filled with little first aid kits and personalized tin cups!  Again, AMAZING and I love it!  But more than her practical outdoor skills is her wonderful friendship knowing that I can text her at any time and she is there for me.  She can come over in her pajamas and we watch our favorite TV shows, drink dark hot chocolate with sea salt while husbands are watching kids.  And icing on the cake is that our girls are BFF/Besties.  This photo says it all on one of their recent tractor rides!

And then there is my “Tiger Mama”, affectionately named after the popular book of late.  Yes, she is Asian, but it’s more because she is strict, makes her kids do additional homework every day and even on vacation.  She is strongly opinionated and not a fan of chit-chat or most things women get themselves worked up over.  She has been a tremendous grounder for me.  She has opened up my literary world with her ecclectic taste in reading and has been a great reminder of when I need to step it up with discipline in raising our next generation.  She makes me laugh, challenges my paradigms and has an open world view.  We are an odd pairing, but what would I do without her.

So I don’t know what our next location holds for us in regard to friends, but I’m already praying for our future relationships!  I seem to always have what I need even if I don’t realize I need it it until a year in.  And I thank God for amazing people who are so different from me.  I treasure them and know I am better for knowing these wonderful ladies!

I grew up hearing “What a man sows, that shall he reap.”  And I’ve always see it true in my life and in the life of others.  So we’ve seen the movie, The Lorax (http://www.theloraxmovie.com/index.php) twice so far and it truly gets better every time.  Whether someone receives the message of being an environmentalist, not losing yourself to ego or greed, the ramifications of selfishness, thinking of the future, what you would do for love or even the spiritual principle of saving mankind, no one can deny the effect of sowing and reaping.

My favorite lines from the movie:

“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.”

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better – it’s not.”

“How bad can I be?  I’m just doing what comes naturally.  I’m just following my destiny”.

“Let them grow! Let them grow!”

Well, I have to say that my son is still talking about this event with friends and family.  It made such an impression on him that he was able to play soccer with the “grown-ups” at an Easter Picnic.  My normally shy child went right up and began to play with the adults and I was surprised that no one told him he couldn’t.  One man was so good and kind to lead him around the field, teach and encourage him.  Most of the group didn’t even know his dad was deployed, but they were just sharing their hearts as fathers and as loving people.  I saw that in all the men and women who played that day.  It was fun and casual, yet many of them had no idea that this little 6 yr old was really missing his dad and this 2 hour interaction meant the world to him.

My son told me that all the guys were saying nice things to him, giving him hi-fives and one even said, “you’re the man”:) which I can tell was the best compliment to him.  Ah, I had to laugh.  He even scored a goal!

I was so proud that people were stepping up for my son.  I know it wasn’t forced, but just who they are as people who have a heart for others, especially the young.  And to me, it was symbolic in the way that we don’t tell our young people that they “can’t” do something because of their age or size, but encourage them to do anything!

So this was a great way to begin our Spring Break….fun, sun and witnessing a guy jump off a cliff, sail around for 15 minutes and land right in front of us.  It doesn’t get much better than that on a Monday afternoon.

We rushed to meet him like he was a Rock Star and learned a little about what he does and how he does it.  He talked about the way he assesses the weather, location, proximity to dangerous objects, etc.  But once in the air, he really is just guided by something uncontrolable….the wind.

It wasn’t until that evening that I realized how this great visualization is truly exemplifying life.  We can make a decision based on what we see, but once we’re in it, we have to modify based on the changes in the elements.  It takes preparation and knowledge, but more than anything, it takes faith!

But when the nice paraglider offered to take my young son up for a tandem ride, I’d have to opt out of that kind of faith for now!  I rather just watch his faith in action!

According to Military.com, “More than 1.7 million children under the age of 18 have at least one parent serving in the armed forces.  And it is estimated that more than 900,000 children have had one or both parents deployed multiple times.”  So I know that I am not alone and we are part of a large group.  But then, why do I feel like I’m the only one at times?  As we are at the midpoint of our deployment, it is with mixed emotions that I feel confident yet overwhelmed…..the classic half full/half empty philosophy.

My family was kind enough to visit from Texas to help me, spend time with me and the children and to see even more of my state.  I often tease that when you have multiple family members over, it can often get “Willy Wonka” taken from the scenes in the movie where all the grandparents were in the same bed and they all stayed in the same room! Well, of course, it’s not quite like that, but I use the term for dramatic effect.  It was a wonderful trip and they made the best of being crowded in children’s rooms.

But since they drove off, I have been in a melancholy state.  As I put some household things in order and do errands, I have to hold back the tears.  You see, we move in a few months so there are no plans of when we will see each other again.  I envy those with family and childhood friends near by.  I have chosen to see the bright side of seeing new places, meeting new people, reinventing yourself every couple of years, etc.  But all that doesn’t cut the mustard when you see those you love go back to their “home” knowing yours is so far away.

So treasure family, love those who you often take for granted and embrace the Willy Wonka moments!

“…she saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months. When she couldn’t hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile.”  Exodus 2:1-3

I’ve recently heard some messages on the topic of Moses.  I know that normally doesn’t scream motherhood, but I heard the speaker interestingly talk about Moses’ mother and her courage to save her son….and how he believed that investment led to a strength within him years later.  It’s given me some new perspective.

Recently, I have realized more and more how much I had been struggling with motherhood over the past few years.  As much as I love my children and willing to do anything for them, I have daily struggled with all that is required.  I always chalked it up to starting later in life so being set in my ways.  I even thought that it was because we move so often, are away from family as well as with all of the time apart and deployments.  I even thought at times that it was because I was the first person in my family to obtain an academic degree so feel that I should expect “more” out of myself career wise.  And one of the “best” reasons I thought was because I was overwhelmingly aware of the responsibility of being a parent….how noble.  All logical reasons I guess.

But when I heard the message about Moses’ mother’s sacrifice and desire to go against the culture, I was inspired on what future greatness can become in my decisions even though our American culture does not always value motherhood.  I worked for a CEO who felt mothers were causing a decrease in the quality of a driven workforce supporting capitalism and as a result, economic decline in our culture.  So I have answered the questions so often from my past business counterparts of “So what are you doing now”, “Are you doing anything with your time yet”, “What are your plans”, etc.  They don’t value what I’ve been doing the past 3 ½ years.

My mom is here visiting for the month and it’s been awesome to share how I feel with her in person.  She shared many words of wisdom and has helped me connect how everything I’ve accomplished and all that has been invested in me is working to develop and lead the children…..that everything counts and nothing is for naught.  My husband has been so complimentary and encouraging as well by his words, his prayers, his support through Skype and his letters.  And he is so good about making time with me, the children, reading to them and staying in contact with their school, etc.   And he and I both know that parenthood is God’s plan of teaching relationships, sacrifice, grace, mercy and all the other lessons we need in life as well as preparing future generations.  Really, what other species is so physical and emotionally dependent as long as humans?

The book study I’m hosting, Lioness Arising has been so fantastic in meeting and growing with other women, many of whom mothers.  But their stories, their struggles especially in respect to their teenage and older children has led me to feel that I’ve have just seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to challenges in motherhood so I need to get better my act together sooner rather than later if I’m going to have a strong foundation to withstand what the future may hold and to press forward on what is needed.  Even though I know that every person has their bad days and every mother struggles at times, I still knew that none of my “reasons” truly gave place for my feelings.

But it was especially when I heard the speaker discuss how the greatest miracle is being able to “defy oneself in order to do good for another” that really sparked me.  Even though I had heard that often, it somehow made more of a difference for me that day.  All of my good reasons didn’t seem so valid anymore….it was just plain old selfishness!  Wow, that didn’t sound as good as my other reasons!  I know I will have tough times, but I am getting a new perspective.  So I now have a sign in my room that says, “Whose life am I making better and why?”

So in addition to our communal Daniel’s Fast (21 days of fruits/veggies/grains)reasons for the city, our nation and all respective leadership, I have my personal objectives to grow in this area of my life.  So day 6 is going pretty good!

I truly believe in the philosophy that it “takes a village to raise a child” and I am so grateful that I have wonderful friends and family to not see through me, but to see me through!  I thank God for my village and for all those around me who are amazing examples and encouraging me to step out of comfort and be better!