The Story of the Walking Stick

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a situation that happens so quickly that you don’t have time to think? Auto-pilot kicks in and it’s as if you’re watching yourself instead of being in the moment?  Clarity comes on the other side of the situation as you look back and see God at work on your behalf, even when you didn’t know you needed it.

On a gray, fall afternoon we decided to take the girls to a local wooded park and do some nature walking.   As is our usual routine, we took the walkie talkies and broke up into two teams to see who could spot the most wildlife.   The walkie talkies are used to tell the other team when a red headed woodpecker or white tail deer is spotted.

This particular Sunday Olivia and I were a team.   We’d taken a trail that we’d never been on, and it led us far into the woods in the opposite direction of Tom and Lindsey.  About 30 or so minutes into our walk we spotted a lean-to, so I cautiously studied the underbrush and surrounding area.  After I determined all was clear, and that the lean-to was most likely left over from last year, we proceeded. 

Another 10 minutes of walking and Olivia and I both stopped and stared at a freshly cut walking stick leaning against one of the trees along the pathway.   It was approximately 5 foot in length, 2 inches in diameter, still green with all of the little extra branches trimmed right down to the base.   Suddenly I was on alert, and again I stopped and took inventory of the surroundings, listening for the slightest rustle of leaves or foot steps, but there was nothing.

Olivia radioed back to her sister and told her about the walking stick.  Lindsey excitedly said “Bring it back to base camp so I can see it!”  Olivia snatched it up and we went on for another 100 feet or so, and then, for whatever reason, Olivia turned an handed me the stick.  We rounded a bend in the path and were about to begin the climb back up towards the ridgeline.

Suddenly, I saw movement at the top of the pathway.   A late 40-ish couple stepped into view at the crest of the hill.  Instinctively, I said “Stop” and Olivia froze in her tracks.   The man saw us, and so did his dogs, as he scrambled to grab the three leashes off the ground.   His scramble was partially successful, as he brought two dogs to an abrupt halt but there was no stopping the large black lab, who was already at a dead run.

The huge, snarling dog rushed down the hill, and Olivia let out a panicked scream.  In one movement, I  grabbed her by the shoulder, and shoved her to safety behind me.   Instinctively I stepped into the path of the charging dog.   The walkie talkie starts to blare “What’s happening?  What’s wrong?  TALK TO ME!”, as my husband hears the screams and snarls echoing through the forest. 

A surreal scene unfolded as the dog came charging; my newly found walking stick connecting firmly with his jawline, sending him reeling.   The owner all the while running down the hill,  towards the fray, shouting, “He doesn’t bite!”

I don’t have time to argue the point, as the dog again lunges at us, snarling and snapping.  Again my walking stick fends off the attack; slowing the dog enough to give the owner time to grab him by the collar in a way that evoked as much pain as the blows of the stick.

The man is now struggling to drag all three dogs away from us.  The wife is standing frozen in panic at the top of the hill and the walkie talkie is still blaring.   About 20 feet away, the man stops, and pulls a muzzle out of his pocket and starts shoving it onto the raging dog, still insisting, “He doesn’t bite.”

Now, I’d like to say that at this point I was nice, but I wasn’t.  I did not use any profanity, but I was not nice.   The wife has now regained her senses and takes offense at the fact I’ve said something like, “YOU IDIOTS, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ALMOST CAUSED TO HAPPEN HERE?”, and takes this time to lip off to me. (Lady, don’t make me beat you with this stick, because I will).

Anywhoooo, ahem.   I tell Olivia to answer her father and tell him we’re ok as we put some distance between us and the couple and their dogs.    They move off, and I realize they are heading towards Tom and Lindsey, so I radio back and warn him, giving him time to get her to safety.

The entire event took probably less than 90 seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime in slow motion.   As we climbed up the ridge and into the clearing I began to think of the walking stick I still carried in my hand.   Where had it come from?  Who had placed it by the tree?  How long had it been waiting for us?   Why did Olivia hand it to me when she did?

Had we not picked up that  stick, or had Olivia dropped it in panic at the sight of the charging dog, we would have been defenseless.  Some people would say it’s coincidence.   I don’t believe in coincidence.

I do believe that God worked on our behalf.  I don’t know how He got the stick where it needed to be, and when it needed to be there.   But I know that my God is mighty to save! 

Did He warn me before that time?  Probably so, as there were several times I wondered if we should head back instead of pressing ahead.  Then again, had the couple and their dogs come from behind, and without having yet found the stick….it could have ended differently.

The walking stick now stands just inside our front doorway.   A reminder of God’s provision, and protection…even when we don’t realize we’re in trouble.

A Day at Home

I think my blog title is misleading.   When people hear, or read, that I’m stay at home mom (S.A.H.M.), they envision someone who…well, stays home all the time.  That is a gross error in interpretation.

You see, even though I’m a S.A.H.M., I’m rarely just home.   A typical day includes homeschooling, then off to ballet or Awana, or the grocery store.   I rarely have a day to just be at home and do “home stuff”.  

Today was different.   The girls are only working on math and handwriting, which they do independently.  We have no outside commitments for the day, which truthfully I find hard to believe and I’m secretly worried that I’ve forgotten to write something down on my calendar.  Seriously.

I was able to get up and have a non rushed cup of coffee, while I read my Bible.  A friend stopped by for a brief visit (a real live person, just stopped by, it was truly amazing).   Then I was able to clean house, weed my flower beds, sit down and eat lunch with the kids, water plants and then joyous day, I TOOK A SHOWER, in the middle of the afternoon!  I may be just a bit giddy over here!

Now while I was in house cleaning mode, the kids went out back to do stuff with the dog.  We have an enclosed back yard, and a very protective dog so I tend to not keep an eye on them while they are outside.

Then they came in, one bloody and in tears.  After bandaging Lindsey up, ahem, we had an interesting discussion.

"How'd you manage this?"

"Olivia had a rope tied to the other leg and was controlling it."

"I see....Olivia, what was the purpose of the rope tied to the leg?"

"Well, she said she needed to be able to stretch further, I was stretching her." (insert muffled giggles on my part here).

"Lindsey, you had absolutely NO qualms about agreeing to this?"

"Define qualms."

"You know that still small voice on the inside that says you probably shouldn't do something."

"Oh, yeah, I had LOTS of qualms."

"And yet you let your sister tie a rope to your leg in order to STRETCH you?"

"Yeah.....I don't know why I did that." (insert flash back to Bill Cosby's stand up routine).

Then Olivia says "Is this going to be one of those things that ends with 'well, like Grandma Addie always said’ ?" Yes, yes it is.

"Like Grandma Addie always said when you don't listen, you have to feel."

What did we learn from this?

Lindsey: "Listen to your instincts, and don't let your sister tie a rope around your leg."

Olivia: "If you're going to try something like this, wait until the week AFTER ballet performance instead of the week OF performance." All the ballet moms say Amen!

It’s moments like this that I’ll laugh about when I’m 80.   It’s moments like this that the girls will tell their kids about over Thanksgiving dinner.   Just because we got to spend a day at home.   Grins!

The Happiest Girl Ever

Seriously, doesn’t she look like the happiest kid ever?  Well no, she wasn’t, because she felt like she had “bunny teeth”.  That was in part to be smacked in the mouth with a baseball requiring several stitches to her face, and some other issues at the age of 7.  Heck, I was just glad that she still had all of her teeth after that.

She all but begged for braces.  Ok, she DID beg for braces.  We explained that it wasn’t that we didn’t want to get braces, we just really didn’t have the money to cover it.  But I told her to pray about it, and when God provided the funding, I’d make sure braces would come her way.

I tried to reason with her.  “You know, braces HURT, right?”  It didn’t matter.  She still prayed, and believed, and touched the heart of God.

Have you ever seen anyone so happy to have braces?  Me either.  But I’m happier to know that God heard her prayer, because He does care about the little things (and the not so little).

10 Years Later

Ten years ago today I lay in a hospital bed after suffering through almost 72 hours of a botched induction.  The last five of those hours were spent in hard labor, with no epidural.  Yes pushing for 5 hours.   The doctor informed us that Olivia was stuck, and that no matter what he did, he would “damage” her.  So he wanted to “wait and see”.

My wonderful Christian nurse was called out to go into an emergency c-section with another woman.  God instantly prompted me to start praying for the other mother and child, and so I lay there praying out loud for this stranger.  My new nurse scolded me “You need to worry about yourself and your baby, you’re in trouble.”  Yet I knew, that this other woman, whom I had never met, was going into surgery to save her child and she needed prayers.   Between contractions, and through clinched teeth I prayed for that woman and baby from the very depths of my being.

Suddenly something changed.  Whatever obstacle had been in the way had moved and the doctor announced “we’re about to have a baby”.   After just a few minutes of obedient prayer for a stranger, Olivia had popped loose and was entering the world.  Then just as quickly the doctor said “whatever you do, DON’T PUSH!”   The cord had wrapped tightly around Olivia’s neck, not once, but twice.  She was blue and silent when she arrived.  

Then God Himself breathed life into her and she began to wail.  Goodness how she wailed.  For the first 6 weeks of her life she did nothing but wail.  At one point I looked at my husband and said “I can’t do this the rest of my life.” 

Today Olivia turned 10.  She’s quiet, and thoughtful.  I can’t imagine what life would be like without her.  I barely remember what it was like before she was born.  She’s taught me a lot of things in these 10 years, far more than I’ve taught her.   She is my hardest fought battle, she is my greatest victory.

A Miracle–Caught on Camera

Have you ever heard someone give a testimony of some great thing that happened and thought “wow, I wish I could have been there to see that?”   Come on, you KNOW you have.  One blind eye opened, one dead person raised….one tangible thing to show you that miracles really do happen?  Ok, so here’s your photo, brace yourself.

So you’re thinking I’ve put the wrong photos up, aren’t you?   But no, I haven't.  You see, that’s Olivia.  Singing.  In a choir.  In a church.  In front of people.  Enjoying it!

What makes that a miracle you ask?  Well, several years ago something happened at church.  I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, and Olivia hasn’t been willing to discuss it.  But in a single day she went from being involved, singing, dancing and being a part of things to crying and having a panic attack at the mere mention of having to participate in anything involved with church, or praise and worship.  She was still willing and able to perform beautifully in ballet, in front of 1800 people, but in front of a church of less than 50 she was terrified.

As a mother, it was heartbreaking to know that this child who is so musical, so moved by all things music had been shut down and shut up by “religion”.  To think that this child, who is a born worshipper, a born musician and singer had been so wounded and frightened in “God’s house”, by “God’s people” that she couldn’t even sing His praises in His house.

So yet another spiritual battle for my child began.  One that required patience, encouragement, prayer, knowing God’s voice when He said to push, and when He said to let it alone.

On Friday, May 18, 2012 I watched Olivia confidently march into the choir loft.  Out of those 21 voices, I could clearly pick out Olivia’s rich voice as the choir opened with “I Will Praise the Name of God”, and then went into “Taste and See” followed by “Worthy of Worship”.

That’s not the grandiose miracle you were hoping for is it?   Perhaps not, but believe me this was something that only God could do.  It was no less powerful than the opening of a blind eye, because it was a freeing of a wounded spirit.

Let us never overlook the “little miracles” in our lives.  For it is out of these “little miracles” that come the biggest blessings of our lives.

Here I Am!

You probably thought I’d forgotten all about gardening and blogging huh?  The truth is my camera died…GAH!   And life has been so crazy.   I’m still working graveyard shift (11pm until 7am) 6 days a week.  Combine that with all of the girls evening activities and some projects I have had in the works I’ve been super busy.   In the last 2 weeks I’ve clocked several 24 hour (or more) periods without sleep, only to take a 2 hour (or less) power nap and start all over again.  Some days my brain is mush.

The good news is that I was able to get a new camera this week!  The bad news is that it’s rained a lot and I haven’t been able to get outside to plant or to take photos.

I did manage to take some lovely photos of Olivia’s 9th birthday this week.  It’s hard to believe she’s 9 already.  It’s even harder to believe that she wanted a homemade cake instead of one of the expensive store bought ones this year!  She finally realized that mine are much better, even if they aren’t very fancy!   So enjoy these photos and I’ll hopefully be back in a few days with some gardening photos, plans for upcoming events and more consistent posting in general!

Rites of Passage

There are some mile markers that seem to hold greater value in our lives than others.  When you’re a kid, learning to ride your bike without training wheels is a biggie.   This past week, both girls moved beyond the training wheel world and closer to “grown up”.

Olivia’s passage was necessitated by the fact that one of her training wheels broke and there was no other option but to learn.   Lindsey on the other hand, has the mind set that if Olivia does it so can she.  And so, she did.

Olivia’s biggest hurdle was getting her feet on the pedals and pedaling before the bike toppled over with her.   Once this issue was conquered the rest was  easier.

Lindsey’s biggest issue was trying not to gloat too much as she rode by her struggling sister.

But, as is often the case, the prideful tend to find themselves humbled in one way or another.  You show off a little too much…

First thing you know your foot gets snagged, and suddenly the view is different…

Slow and steady wins the race.  And a humble spirit prevails.

Good Grief

Olivia came be-bopping into the room this morning and asked “Mom, what do you think of this outfit?”

Um, well, you look quite lovely dear.  But this is not what an 8 year old is supposed to look like, right??   Where did the “little” girl go to?

Olivia Turns 8

Here are a few photos of Olivia’s 8th birthday party.  We even had a guest visit from Flat Stanley.

You can only do so much with a horse theme on a cake.

Keeping a group of 10 kids fed can take several sets of hands!

The birthday princess (she wore that tiara all day, until the cowboy hat was unwrapped.)

I LOVE this kid!   He has the sweetest southern accent in the world and acts more grown up than most adults I know.

Poor Dylan…it’s hard being the only boy at the party.

The happy cowgirl!

The new horse, “Princess”.

Flat Stanley and DaCoach.

These kids are like little rubber bands!!  I thought we’d never get finished with Twister!

Pretty little sister….

As you can see, I don’t do a lot of bells and whistles for birthday parties.   We cooked hotdogs on the grill, played twister and corn hole and just let them be kids.   I had a couple of crafts ready, but since the weather was so nice, and everyone was having a good time playing, I sent the crafts home in the goodie bags.  It was a great day!

The Nutcracker

This is the first ballet I’ve ever attended.   Saturday night we watched the show, Sunday afternoon I worked backstage.   Let me tell you, backstage is HARD work!  

The production was WONDERFUL!  I’ve been told that it rivals professional shows.     The guest artist was Jurijs Safonovs. He is such a wonderful dancer, and so pleasant to work with. 

Olivia had a wonderful time in her first year of  The Nutcracker.  It was so much fun watching her excitement build.  But what I loved was her level of confidence.

Here are a few photos from backstage today. Aren’t they adorable?  Olivia’s solute in the last photo was impromptu on her part, and way cute.

 

My daughter, the clown:

 

Lindsey is now super excited about next year.  She has grand plans for being a Gingersnap….but I think she’s going to miss the age cut off for auditions.  Olivia is already planning out the next few years worth of roles as well.

Aren’t they a lovely couple?

Afternoon Tea

The girls and I have been reading a lot of the “American Girl” books.   We all love colonial and Victorian era books and movies.  So this afternoon we decided to have our own little tea.

We used Thomas’ grandmothers crystal sugar and creamer set, and a few antique tea cups I’ve acquired, and added some yummy sweets.

Earlier in the week, we made these lovely fans, and the girls used those as they chatted and flitted about.

   
What great fun with my girls!  They’ve requested a weekly tea.  Lindsey truly enjoys tea, Olivia not so much….but she’s a big fan of the sweets.  Maybe next week we shall make some scones?

Oh To Be a Ballerina!

Olivia has always been one of those “trip over thin air” kind of kids.  In part, I think a lot of it has been that she grows so fast that she just has a hard time keeping up with her own self.  Part of it is, well she’s a kid, and kids do fall a lot.  Then there is the point that, well the child is just plain clumsy!

When she was four I decided to sign her up for ballet classes.  My logic was that she would at least be more aware of her body and her surroundings.  So for the first two years of ballet, she basically learned to fall a lot prettier! 

Then somewhere in the middle of this, her third year, something happened.  Suddenly, she was actually dancing and not just tripping to the music!  Her movements became more graceful and purposeful.

In March she competed in her first performance awards, and I was in tears as I watched her perform.  She earned a silver medal with distinction honors and I couldn’t have been prouder.

This past weekend was the Spring Ballet Recital.  The theme was “Under the Sea”. Olivia was to be a Sea Princess, and Lindsey was a Rainbow Fish.  Lindsey’s class performed with 2 other classes, each class in a different color.  She was just plain cute.

I was dumbstruck when Olivia’s class danced on stage.  Somehow, my clumsy, easily distracted child had transformed into an extremely focused dancer.  She carried herself with a confidence I’d never noticed before. Not once did she look to the other dancers to see what they were, or were not doing.  She looked straight ahead, smiling and dancing beautifully.

Growing Up

Olivia turned seven this week.  It doesn’t seem possible!  I’m sure you’ve never heard a parent say that before, right?  She seems SO grown up….then suddenly she seems VERY immature.  It’s an odd age (aren’t they all?)

She wanted a Tinkerbell party.  I’m not really sure why.  She’s never seen the movies, but I guess it’s just a little girl thing?  Anyway, here are a few photos from her birthday party.

I’m not sure what she was wishing for….but I thought the cake would catch fire before she finished!

My mother, and the in-laws were floored as she read each card.  Seriously, I don’t think they believe me when I say they LEARN while we’re homeschooling.  Sigh…

Seven….amazing how old that sounds on THIS side of the child/parent relationship!