My kids were up early this morning. They had a plan. They took a box( an empty caprisun box), and they started filling it with change from around the house. It is money to help pay Amelia Cone’s medical expenses. Amelia is the daughter of Isaiah’s teacher at BellsCrossing Elementary, you can read about her situation here<http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ameliacone> .

                 I always accuse my kids of being selfish…..bad mommy !! They aren’t, they are just like me, they focus on themselves until they have something better to focus on. Isaiah took all of the money that he was saving for silly bands and put it right into that box ! They are doing kingdom work RIGHT NOW. They have enlisted the help of Jordan, a neighborhood friend and so far, so good. We have the best neighborhood, and the best neighborhood kids…..their hearts are just BIG, it makes me so proud. In the midst of health care fraud, and disgusting headlines….heaven still comes to earth, in the form of our kids.  The least of these are the greatest.

    Every year we pray for Isaiah’s teacher. We ask the Lord to give him just the right one. The one who will see more to him than meets the eye, the one who will take the time to draw him out, and so far….HE has delivered. This year we have Jenny Cone (second grade at Bells Crossing), she is 6 feet tall and beautiful. At the beginning of the year, when we realized that she was pregnant and would have to go on maternity leave , we were anxious about how Isaiah would transition. He did great ,and God was faithful to give us a sub, (mrs. nemecek), who was perfection.  After Christmas break, Mrs Cone came back, she had given birth to a beautiful baby girl, named….Amelia. Isaiah was instantly in love with, and protective over this baby. He added her to his prayer list, and if she is ever sick, it becomes a prayer topic at the dinner table. Thats one of the things that I love about Isaiah, once he let’s you in, and trusts you….thats that, for life.

                              Yesterday, Isaiah came home a little upset that Mrs. Cone left class early and was crying. Apparently there was something going on with baby Amelia’s eyes. I really thought that maybe she had pink eye, and that Isaiah had just overreacted, or misunderstood. This morning I recieved an e-mail from Mrs. Cone.  ( Amelia is 6 months old). They had noticed her eyes twitching, and took her in for a check up. What they found dropped me to my knees this morning. There are tumors behind each eye, that they believe are cancer. They will do an MRI today, and then most likely go to Philadelphia to have surgery. I cannot express how this has broken my heart. For the Cones, and for my baby. How is he going to take this ?  He prayed for Amelia so diligently, when she had an ear infection a few weeks ago.

                          Please pray for baby Amelia. Please pray for Isaiah, that he would have faith. Please pray for this young mother and the injustice that has come into her life. She has asked for prayers, and I am asking for warriors. Please stand up, and bow down, take time out, and petition the Lord on behalf of this family. This is what we are here for.

 I do understand that her life is a little different than mine….but my, oh my, how I love the glamourai ! I aspire to be more glamorous on a daily basis, so if you see me in Simpsonville, dressed like this , don’t be a hater, just let me have my fun. glamourai.

   Spent part of the afternoon downtown with the Butcher….looking at his dreams. I think I felt the gentle tug of the Lord, making them my dreams too. On Easter, I shed my grave clothes…really, I did, and I have been eagerly anticipating what Abba has for me ever since ! I know He wants me to love , and I know that love is a heavy mantle to wear…I am trying to listen and prepare my spirit man. I have something to give, and I know that He is making me ready. Hope springs eternal. It is never early, or late, its right on time. My grave clothes were starting to smell, they had to go. The best thing about Abba is how little you have to say, he hears every groan, every whimper, and every”here I am papa, pick me up”.

    As a christian, Passover is different. Tonight, we will celebrate Passover with our friends, and for me, it is about doing something that Jesus did. We will do our best to explain the symbolism to our kids, we will toast, and we will cry. This year this feast is very important to me. I am in a season of cleansing and hopefully renewal, and Passover really speaks to that. The matzah crackers will represent HIS broken body, pierced and striped. All for me, all to make me clean. The wine, the fruit of the vine…his blood, his love poured out, to set me free, from the bondage that still finds me. Tonight, I will remember that Jesus came, and he died…but that he rose again. He is alive !  And so is the Passover tradition.

Sorry. I warned you that I was going to be busy and that my posts would be sketchy. Today is no different, but the Lord reminded me of something and I wanted to write about it.

                 A few weeks ago, we had a hosting HIS presence event at church, and it was a rough day…I am talking about, shut the door and close out everyone kind of rough. Somehow, I knew that I HAD to get there. Didn’t know what would happen after that, but I had to have HIM. I repented for my bitterness, and unbelief, and then I worshipped like no one else was there. The Lord sent my friend over, and I knew, that she knew ,I was having a rough time, so I had already expected her to pray for me. What I did not expect was that the Lord would speak something through her that I had never heard before, something that has become a tower for me, and a place that I can pull from ,when I don’t have anything left. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, laughing, and said” The Lord says that you are GLAMOROUS in the spirit”. It was exactly what I needed.

         Sometimes, I get so beaten down that I forget about the victory that is mine. Sometimes I feel haggard, old and down right ugly. But guess what…..thats not how my beloved sees me ! I am glamorous in my prayer, and glamorous in my worship, my face shines with the unveiled glory that belongs to him. And when I forget it, he sends someone to tell me ! So, even during this Easter week, when I am thinking about him, He is thinking about ….me, and you, too. What word has he used to describe you? I would love to know.

  Ok, friends….the hot dog cart will be out and about this weekend. First we have the big birthday party at CRCC from 12 to 2 and then the Fountain Inn Egg Drop from 5 to 7. At the Egg Drop, we will actually be selling BBQ….with homeade coleslaw, might I add. Bring your kids, come out and see us. This is the start to our spring break, and really a big blessing.

           Ok, I am off to watch Isabelle in the 4th grade play….GO WEST. Always fun to see Belle on stage, she does not dissappoint.

   For a couple of weeks the kids have been asking for silly bands. Have you seen them ? They are like rubber band bracelets that come in all sorts of shapes. The kids are wearing them and trading them, its the newest thing, I guess. So, yesterday, we went and got some…I was the greatest mom on earth ! It was awesome. Money has been so tight and still is, I have grown accustomed to saying “NO”. It felt good to just play with those silly little bands, there was no talk of cell phones, e-mailing, what clothes  were appropriate, manners….or any other thing that bugs me. They were just kids. Isaiah, Isabelle, and yes….Adam…..playing, wearing, and trading, their silly bands. You have no idea how happy it made me. Money well spent.

   This is going to be a really busy week. So, my posts may be scattered. We have the teacher talent show, which Belle is a part of because she is on student council, and a HUGE social Studies test for her tomorrow, and then the fourth grade play on Friday.

                            The Butcher has two events on Saturday, where he will be using his hot dog cart. The first is a huge birthday party, for one of our favorite people…Abraham Keyes, he will be 3 ! And then that evening we will be doing the Fountain Inn Egg Drop ! The hot dog cart will actually be serving up BBQ at this one ! I am looking forward to that ! Sunday is Annalee’s birthday party,( my favorite neice), I can’t believe how much I am looking forward to it ! She is going to be 3 ! And I have dance practice on that day, too ! I am counting on the Lord to make it all happen.

                       We are almost all moved in, there are still a couple of boxes sitting around, with odds and ends in them, and we are still missing some window coverings. All in all, its starting to feel like home. Spring weather makes me hopeful, and that is where I will leave you today.

  Progress- moving forward.

              There is power in realizing that love can be torturous. Its the, not knowing that fact, that can get you, knock you on your proverbial @#s.  Not everything in life, in parenting, or in marriage, for that fact….feels good.  Love calls us to sacrifice, lay down our life, turn the other cheek. Love whose name is Yeshua. True love. Has anyone besides him, been so tortured for love ?

                   So, I am making progress over here, I am moving forward. Onward toward the one who loves me, and teaches me the meaning of the word.