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Monday, August 31, 2009

A healthcare nightmare

The topic of a boycott being organized against Totes, the company that brought us Isotoner gloves and slippers and a huge variety of bags and luggage, floated across my social media radar ... aka Twitter and Facebook. Apparently, the Totes company fired a woman for taking unauthorized breaks. The reason she was taking these unauthorized breaks was so she could pump her breastmilk for her baby. Being that I was at work, I didn't have much time to research all the details of the situation, but it would seem reasonable that taking unauthorized breaks could be a condition for discipline, up to and including termination. I do not know if the woman attempted to negotiate extra break time, and was refused, or if she just took the extra break time. I would hope that a company would allow for time for parenting obligations. With some give and take on both sides, an agreement can usually be reached.

In any case, the voices being raised on behalf of this mother who lost her job were pretty ardent. I am 1000% pro-breastfeeding, I nursed my three babies until they weaned themselves, did the La Leche League, family bed, attachment parenting and full-time mothering thing in full Birkenstock regalia. I am solidly for the rights of a mother to nurse her child. I am also very much pro-natural childbirth, especially after the C-section birth of my oldest, which led to my later VBAC with my second and home birth with my third. I understand the passion and the commitment to advocacy of our rights as mothers to birth and feed our children naturally.

So, when I came across this account of how some women are being forced to give birth in the hallways of the hospital, attended brusquely and even rudely by overworked nurses who don't seem to care, I wondered if these same women would protest this just as vociferously:

The lives of mothers and babies are being put at risk as births in locations ranging from lifts to toilets - even a caravan - went up 15 per cent last year to almost 4,000.

Health chiefs admit a lack of maternity beds is partly to blame for the crisis, with hundreds of women in labor being turned away from hospitals because they are full.
Latest figures show that over the past two years there were at least:
* 63 births in ambulances and 608 in transit to hospitals;
* 117 births in emergency departments, four in minor injury units and two in medical assessment areas;
* 115 births on other hospital wards and 36 in other unspecified areas including corridors;
* 399 in parts of maternity units other than labour beds, including postnatal and antenatal wards and reception areas.

Additionally, overstretched maternity units shut their doors to any more women in labor on 553 occasions last year.

That is just horrific! The mind boggles to think this is happening in hospitals in a country that is a leader in the civilized world!

But wait ... it gets worse!

The charity has disclosed a horrifying catalogue of elderly people left in pain, in soiled bed clothes, denied adequate food and drink, and suffering from repeatedly cancelled operations, missed diagnoses and dismissive staff.

It is reported that "up to 1,200 people died through failings in urgent care" out of "hundreds of thousands have suffered from poor standards of nursing, often with 'neglectful, demeaning, painful and sometimes downright cruel' treatment." The report finds that this appalling level of treatment of the most vulnerable citizens is not isolation to one hospital or region, it is widespread all across the country.

How can this happen in a civilized nation?! Further, who would participate in this kind of "care" willingly or even without protest?

The majority of the Totes boycotters, that's who ... mostly Democrat, mostly liberal and mostly in favor of ObamaCare, because we "deserve" national healthcare like they have in Great Britain!

Oh ... Really?

You really want this for yourself, do you? Well, if you want it so bad, move to England and enjoy. Leave us Americans with our free market, liberty and freedom to control our own lives.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Wha .. ??

The comment policy here on my poor little neglected blog is posted above the comment entry form (unless you are a member of the site and are logged in). It's pretty simple ... no personal attacks, no trolls, no spam. I will delete at my own discretion. I used to moderate the comments, but I am not always near a computer where I can approve them so they post. I have to balance that with the risk of getting posts with spam comments. Most are annoying, some are offensive - I HATE that spammers are put their crap on the post about my father's recent passing, but every now and then ...

Where does this junk come from?

You can't make this stuff up ... seriously.

Gives Thanks, Very fascinating read, you should be dramatic of your web logs. I’ve been genuinely delighting developing up your situations from meter to time. Looking forward to understand your future positions Many wonderful selective information, thanks for partaking. Testament definitely be back more often….

Again, wha ... ???

Monday, August 03, 2009

Sitting in my father’s chair

It is late at night as I write this, the house is silent after a long day of running here and there, getting things done, sharing the latest of our family's news with friends and dear ones far and wide. But this is not my house, it is my parent's. I sit here in my father's chair, reflecting, praying and contemplating. He will never sit here again. July 31, 2009 marked the day of his passing, when God called him home. I am here to try to hold together the shattered pieces of my mother's life, so she will not have to be alone.

Everyone agrees that his death came as a blessing. He had been so sick, so weak and in so much pain - both physical and emotional, that knowing that he has been released from that brings us great comfort. That he is with his Lord, Jesus Christ is a joy to celebrate. The greatest tragedy is that he leaves behind my mother, who now faces her golden years alone.

So I sit here, in his recliner chair, trying to reconcile my emotions. All day long we have been busy, visiting the funeral home and cemetery, meeting with the pastor, making phone call after sad phone call. Mother and I didn't really have much time to dwell overly much on anything besides the practical matters. She is holding it together fairly well, her faith giving her a lot of grace to face this incredibly life-changing event. It never ceases to amaze me what a profound difference it makes when a person hands over their life to Christ. Though still maybe chaotic, out of control and filled with crisis, that grace sustains and carries us through.

Mother and I have even had moments of humor and laughter. Leave it to me to make inappropriate jokes, but if she is laughing, she is still living. Today, first at the mortuary, then at the cemetery, after going over the list of products and services necessary to hold a funeral, the sum total was presented to Mom. Let me tell you right now, folks, you would be very wise to purchase a separate term life insurance policy of at least $15,000 and mark it for end of life needs. Anyway, right after Mom paid the bill at the cemetery for the marker, burial service and related expenses (the plot was already paid for), the funeral counselor took her hand in both of his and very earnestly told he was so very sorry for her loss. When we got back to the car, I told Mom that would be a great slogan for a funeral home - "Your loss is our gain!" We giggled over that for a while.

Over the years, we giggled about a lot of silly things - and it drove Daddy nuts! Many times he would stomp out of the room, annoyed at the silly women in his house as we laughed until our sides hurt. The fact that he was annoyed because he didn't get our sense of humor just made us laugh even harder.

We almost broke out into one of those giggle fits while selecting Daddy's casket. I threatened to bury Mom in the one that was pink with lacy, frilly lining and an embroidered flower on the inside of the lid. She said, "You do and I will come back and haunt you!" I stuck my tongue out at her.

Mom is going to be OK. And Daddy is OK. Me, if I can survive this week, will recover.

I had some other thoughts, but they seem to have floated away. I should sleep, we have another long day tomorrow.

The service and burial is Wednesday, and the world resumes its regular spin on Thursday.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Help me decorate my room!

Yes I have been sadly negligent in the upkeep of my site. So sue me. I've been busy taking care of aging parents, young adult children, a demanding but satisfying career, and a new husband ... not necessarily in that order. When not busy with all that, I have been gardening, redecorating, knitting and soon will be sewing on my new sewing machine.

One of my projects that is taking up a good bit of my time and energy is a room that I am redecorating. This is to be my own little space - for reading, meditating and prayer, Bible study, hobbies and whatever else I wish to do in solitude, peace and quiet. The lone window looks out across a lush, green yard with the Smoky Mountains in the distance. Three walls will be white, the fourth will be a dark lavender. Shelves and trim will be a leaf green. These colors are in the border wallpaper I will put up, which also has some pink and silver gray. The style of decor will be eclectic, a reflection of my personality and interests - some modern tech/geek, a little shabby chic, with a hint of garden and a lot of artsy craftsy. It will have my books and knick-knacks on Hungarian Shelves. These will be painted green and installed on the wall painted dark lavender. I will have my computer desk and a sewing/hobby table in there, and a futon or day-bed. I plan to have lots of quilts, knitted throws, and pillows. Very cozy and comforting.

I am trying to decide what to do with the door I will be installing. It is a 6-panel molded door that must be painted. The side facing the hall will be white, but I am wanting to do something creative and quirky with the inside ... using the lavender and green paint. I was thinking of painting the main part lavender, and the molded panel frames green. But I am still undecided. I am open to suggestions!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

How Dare You! An answer to gay marriage advocates

The local newspaper, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, in its online version, provides a section where readers can leave comments on articles. Reading these reminds one of a 7 year old's birthday party with too many kids who have ingested insane amounts of sugar and have no adult supervision, and they have fallen to squabbling over every little thing. It provides a very sad glimpse into the reality of the levels of intellect in this area. The more controversial the topic, the more numerous and insane the comments become. The article about how the state of Tennessee "accidentally" married two men ... to each other ... while one was in prison no less! Well, there are over 500 comments there as of this writing. I got about 20 in and wanted to weep for the obvious decline in the human condition. Rather than entering the fray there, I decided to post my thoughts here. I, um ... got a little carried away, so grab a nice beverage, get comfy, open your heart and mind (but don't bleed out or become brainless), and let's have a little chat. Mind your manners!

The bulk of the argument in the comments was over who could be married to who, and why or why not. The same old arguments that will never, ever end.

What, exactly, is required in order to be married? Who makes that determination?

The state? Well, if a couple wants to enjoy and uphold the legal, financial and civil rights and responsibilities of being a bonded couple, then that is the answer there. What if a couple has no need or desire for any of that? Do they HAVE to be declared a married couple by the state?

What if all they want or need is to make a vow before God and enter into the Covenant of Marriage? Where does the state come into play in this case? Is the state going to stand with the couple on Judgment Day and declare to God that they have a piece of paper issued to them that says they are married? Would God care?

Gays and their leftist friends seem to think that the state is more important than God, and therefore must sanction their desire to be married. To this end, gays have insisted that not only should the state allow them to marry - thus re-defining marriage, but also that everyone else accept, tolerate and even condone their version of marriage. They insist that everyone else set aside their religious and moral beliefs about marriage, and accept wholly their way of life.

Lemme tell you what folks, as a Christian looking forward to my place in His Kingdom, knowing that how I choose to live my life as a Christian will determine my rewards there, it is not gonna happen!

Now before you go scrolling down to the comment form where you will call me intolerant, bigoted, hateful, homophobic, etc. let me set something straight (no pun intended ... no, really!) I have no ill feelings towards gays at all. I do not care if they wish to enjoy the legal and financial benefits of a legal or civil union. I don't even care if they wish to call themselves married. That is between them and God, and it is they who will pay the consequences of their choices in life ... just the same as all the rest of us will.

Whoa now, wait a minute ... before you head off to that comment form now, if you go and say I am wrong to believe as I do, and that I should alter my beliefs (what, to make you more comfortable with your beliefs? Gee, I didn't know you thought MY opinion was so important!) By saying that, you are revealing that YOU are intolerant of MY beliefs! Calling me a bigot or a homophobe does not make it so, but it does reveal your own prejuduces. Hatefully calling me hateful ... well, you should get the picture by now, surely.

A major part of the agenda of gay marriage proponents is to gain widespread acceptance of the gay lifestyle. To a Christian, this is deeply offensive. The Bible clearly states that homosexual activity is wrong, in both the Old and New Testaments. It is not something that is taken out of context, or is wishy-washy in its condemnation. For men to have sex with men, and women to have sex with women, is just plain wrong.

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

For a Christian to deny, for any reason, the Word of God being the Truth is a sin. For a Christian to say it is OK for someone else, even a non-believer, to go against God's Word and willfully commit sin, is a sin. Advocates of gay marriage are asking Christians to commit sin. No, they are insistimg on it, and attacking us when we refuse.

How dare you? What gives you the right to ask that of anyone?

I will absolutely not go against the Word of my Lord and condone or accept the gay lifestyle! It is wrong, and like all sin, it is hateful to God. I will never say it is OK to engage in homosexual sex, any more than I will say it is OK to lie, steal, murder or commit adultery. Insisting that I do so is hateful and intolerant, and very offensive.

So, just stop it, OK?

The state offends me as well. To presume to have the power to declare who may and may not be married, and what the defintion of marriage is, is arrogant to the extreme. That is for God, not the state. Leave it alone and take care of the civil unions, marriage is not your business!

For an expanded discussion of this which puts this into Biblical context, click the link and read on ...
(Disclaimer: I am no Biblical scholar, I merely read the Bible and trust God to give me the right words to speak and write)

Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Pastor Wore Flip-flops

The churches I went to while growing up were very formal. Everyone wore their "Sunday Best" - men in jackets and ties, women in dresses, even little kids were dressed up with their faces scrubbed clean and shiny. The services were mostly serious, with all due pomp and circumstance. After each hymn or choir song, the only thing you could hear was rustling of the church bulletins, hymnals and Bibles, and the occasional cough - which would surely merit a scowl of disapproval at the one who dared to disturb the solemnity of the service. The mood lightened when services were over as the parishioners gathered in the lobby to meet, greet and mingle. But that is also where the infamous Church Ladies could be found, sharply addressing any and all shortcomings they found. (Oh yes, they were alive and well long before Dana Carvey made her a cultural icon!) Me, I'm a simple gal. I prefer to dress down and be comfy. High heels, panty hose and scratchy dresses are not my thing. If it is anywhere near warm enough, my feet are bare. God hears prayers no matter what you are wearing, which is a good thing since I do a lot of my praying in bed in my jammies, or in the shower where I am truly baring it all to the Lord. So, it is not surprising that I would find these churches to be uncomfortable, stifling and just simply places where I did not want to be.

I fell out of the habit of going to church many years ago. I was married to a man who did not wish to go, and not only discouraged me from going, but actually mocked my desire to do so. The children went with my parents on occasion, but he made such a fuss about my wanting to go, it was not worth fighting over. (Or so I thought) By the time we divorced, I had strayed far from the path of walking with my Lord that I almost forgot how ... or why, and the thought of church was far from my mind. Sleeping in was more important to me.

Fast forward through the years of chaos, crisis and my shaking my fist at God for giving me such a horrible existence to when I finally succumbed and gave my life over to Him. Rich and I are longing for a church home now. We have our small group where we study, worship and have fellowship with what we call our "God Family" and that has sufficed for a time, but now we feel the longing for even more than that. But we are very picky.

This weekend, we found THE church for us. It is about 10 miles out of the city, on a two lane road surrounded by horse farms, tucked in among the rolling hills in a sheltered valley. As we entered the parking lot, we first saw a somewhat unimpressive brown structure sitting in the middle of nowhere. It has the styling of a horse barn, painted brown with a reddish tin roof. Stretching out behind it, beyond the parking lot are acres and acres of green meadows, trees, and in the far off distance, a barn. A creek runs through the property, and at the far end, next to a picnic shelter is a cross made of raw tree trunks.

As we got out of the car, at the far end of the crowded lot, a man in a cart pulls up and offers us a ride. He is wearing a golf shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. On his shirt is the logo of a men's ministry group. We stopped at the entrance of the church, got our name badges and entered the building. Again, sparse and spartan, certainly not very "churchy" in this place. But it continues the theme of the ranch house, which persists into the sanctuary itself.

We found seats along with our friends and waited for the service to begin. There was no mistaking the start, it began with a drum flourish followed by riffs of electric guitar. The service began with a rocking, high energy song of praise that had the people up and out of their seats, raising hands to heaven, swaying and singing. When it was over, everyone was clapping and cheering. Now, the churches I grew up in, you never clapped during service and you most definitely did not cheer.

The minister then took the pulpit, Pastor Steve. He spoke a few words about what would be coming up in the service and then turned it back over to the band. We rocked out, praising the Lord, to several more songs. Pastor Steve came back and spoke for about 10 minutes. Half the time, we were laughing, the other half, we were thinking or saying, "Yes! Praise the Lord!" He has a gift of commanding attention and using it to get the message of the Bible across. I could have listened to him speak all night long.

Now given that this was a Friday evening service at the start of a conference that went through to the next day, being casual and dressed down is understandable. Same for Saturday - at an all day conference, one wants to be comfortable. But on Sunday?

We decided that we liked it there so much that we wanted to come for the regular Sunday services. I was a little unsure of what to wear - many churches these days have adopted a "come as you are" attitude, many of those use it as part of their marketing. This church said no such thing, not even on their web site. But I needn't have worried a bit, people came wearing all manner of outfit from Sunday best to sweat pants, to jeans and Ts. The "come as you are" is truly a part of the heart of this church and is not a marketing gimmick.

Sadly, too many churches have been resorting to this and other marketing gimmicks. Too many of them have strayed far away from being what a church is supposed to be. We hear about the "emergent" church or Church 2.0. These are churches that strive to appeal to everyone - believers and non-believers alike. The message of the Bible is watered down, pasteurized and PC-ified to be inoffensive and acceptable to as many people as possible, with the primary goal being to fill the pews with more butts and the wallets that come with them, the salvation the person attached is only secondary at best. As one person said, they want to view the Bible through the lens of popular culture, instead of viewing culture through the lens of the Bible.

The church has a duty to its flock to preach the truth ... the gospel truth of the Bible. It should never, ever "pull punches" for the sake of being inoffensive. Yes, God can be scary at times, overwhelming, and even terrifying. He is is also inspiring, comforting, uplifting. Most of all, he is loving and giving. He gave us the ultimate gift of all, the life of His Son. Any church that leaves out any part of the Bible should not call itself a church. Anyone that is seeking God, should run quickly away from such a church. Believers, defenders of the Cross, should point out these sham churches for all to hear and know.

And what I heard at the conference itself? Woo boy ... it would take a week of posts to share all that. But the one thing that stood out the most for me, the scariest thing I have heard in a long time ... well, read Revelation and take note of who all Christ battles against on earth when He returns. Do a bit of research and find out where those places are in the modern world, and then figure out the commonality between them. Then consider that in the light of recent events, here in America. Let me know if you want more of a hint than that.

Anyway, the conference was awesome, we had a blast. The church service the next day was fantastic. I felt right at home with this church, but unfortunately, it is located in Franklin, TN ... a bit far for making weekly visits, much less getting involved in all the other activities. But we intend to return at least occasionally. Mostly because of the pastor ... his jeans had a hole in the knee, and he wore flip-flops ... and his passionate devotion to the service and discipleship of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Pictures of Grace Chapel in Franklin, TN:
(and you can watch the weekly service streamed live on their web site! Or download it later!)







More on the conference later ... a couple of ex-Muslim terrorists were very interesting, compelling and at times, quite funny! And Chuck Missler is always fascinating. The talk by the guy from Wall Street was pretty cool too ...

Thursday, April 16, 2009

So, we went to this little party

All across this great nation, patriots of all ages, colors, backgrounds, and yes, even political party affiliation ... we all came together to raise our voices as one, to send a message to the President and to Congress.

We love our country and the principles it was founded upon. Our founding fathers came to these shores to escape tyranny and a controlling government. They risked and many lost their lives to secure these freedoms for themselves and for future generations. Today, we face a new threat to our continued freedom and liberty. Yesterday, we sent a message that said we cannot allow such a threat to stand against ourselves and our children.

I was not able to be at the Tea Party in Knoxville for very long. I got there almost at the end of it, but I was still able to see for myself that I am not alone in hoping for a better future, not alone in being willing to do whatever is necessary for that better future. The grumbling that began during the Bush I administration over government spending is now becoming a roar of righteous indignation. We look at the numbers and we are horrified. How will we pay back these trillions of dollars being thrown away? Or more to the point, how will our children and grandchildren pay this huge bill being racked up? What this irresponsible and reckless government spending means for the future of this country is not pretty. It is very possible that our great-grandchildren will speak Mandarin Chinese as their native language ... if they are allowed to even be born, that is. When we are broke and bankrupt, and we surely will be in just a few years if things do not drastically turn around, it will be nations like China and India that will be paying off these "loans" the government is taking out.

And then there is the matter of what that money is being spent on. I do not work so I can pay other people's mortgage. I do not work so I can pay for their health care. I do not work so that I can rescue banks, auto companies and investment firms that acted irresponsibly. I work to support myself and my family. Of my own free will, I give to charities that help the less fortunate. I chafe at being forced to give to the less responsible.

There is a difference, you know.

So, I joined 2500 others with my husband and we sent a message to Washington (yes, even though the dufus president is too dumb to even know what was happening all across the country). We don't like this one little bit, and we aim to take our country back. These are people that understand finance and economics, and what it means to be fiscally responsible. These bail-outs and ginormous spending bills are not fiscally responsible at all.

Yet, there remains a contingent of Obama fans that cling to his every move and actually believe whatever he does is golden. Wrong. I laugh at the ignorant people that look at the extra $12 - 15 in their paycheck and think, Wow! A tax cut! Wrong again ... it is a reduction in withholding. It is still tax money that must be paid at tax time. To make it simple ... think of your last tax refund. Now subtract $400. That is about what you will get next year. Is it a negative number? Oh, then you will owe the IRS that much! It is not a tax cut, rebate or credit. You have been duped if you think it is. The ignorance I see regarding these spending bills and the country's economy is simply astounding.

The hate and violent imagery being flung by the leftists is, sadly, not so surprising. One commenter on a blog actually wished that I would be essentially raped. The blog owner, someone I used to consider a friend, thought it was funny. I wonder if he would think it so funny if someone were to say the same thing about his wife, only making the attacking party to be Rush Limbaugh. The person that left the vulgar comment then went on to attack me personally because I am a Christian ... not the points I made or anything I said at all, which was a reasoned and polite refutation of the blog post, but a personal attack against me because of my faith and beliefs. Then she(?) had the audacity to try to say she is a fine, upstanding, moral person who is tolerant of all, and not a bit hateful.

Oh ... REALLY?

This is what I have come to expect from leftists, and sadly, it appears that it is just going to get worse in the coming years. That's fine. Bring it. I really do not care what they think of me, or say about me. I pity their poor, empty souls.

But anyway, at the Tea Party, we had fun. Unlike the anti-war or pro-abortion or anti-Bush/GOP protests we have seen over the years, there was very little negativity at the Tea Parties. Reports from all cities all said that people were out, with their friends and families, enjoying the company of many others that share their love of country and pride of nation. All I saw was smiles. I heard laughing, watched children playing. Yes, people were passionate about their views at times, but it was not the anger, the rage, that is seen at Code Pink rallies and the like.

I watch with amusement at some leftists and the media as they try to portray these Tea Parties as something they were not. They attack us viciously and violently. Melissa Clouthier made a great comparison: Tea bag Envy and the Left's Lack of Imagination . And somewhere I saw it suggested that the next round of Tea Parties include the Main Stream Media as targets of protest. After the egregious behavior of one CNN reporter, I cannot agree more - it's time to push back. When reporters stop reporting the news and do nothing more than make it their own biased perspective, they have lost their claim to the right of freedom of the press.

It is time ... way past time ... to take back our country. This is only the beginning.











God Bless America!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Wedding Pictures!

Just a few for now ... maybe more later. .





From the honeymoon at Disney here

I hope to write more about our adventures at Disney soon! We had a blast!

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The Wedding

The deed has been done. We wed, we honeymooned, and now we are back to Real Life™

Now the real adventure begins!

The wedding itself, after all the stressing, fussing, hair=pulling and worrying I did, went beautifully. This is not to say that it went as planned, or expected ... at all, but in the end, we had a wonderful ceremony, surrounded by our family and friends.

Though we have been married since last summer, having made our Covenant with God, with our closest friends as witnesses, we also wanted to have an official ceremony, for our family and friends, and at the same time, create our civil union with the state ... making it a legal marriage. When we first announced that we were going to have a wedding, I was asked by everyone what kind of wedding did I want. At first, I did not know. I had no clue. I just let God guide me in planning the details, because what I ultimately wanted was a ceremony that would also be our testimony. Rich and I were put together by God Himself, as part of His plan. So our wedding could be nothing less than a celebration of that, for His Glorification.

For my flowers, I chose the dogwood. Not only is it strongly associated with East Tennessee in the spring, there is also the Legend of the Dogwood. This idea came to me as a flash of inspiration. That's just how God works. In the same way, I was led to choose the music for the ceremony, the prayers, blessing and litany, and, of course, my vows.

I was on my own, it seemed though, for my dress. What a riot that became! When I first started looking at dresses online, the very first one I found was it ... the one. But by the time I was able to order it, it was sold out. It came back in stock a couple times, but in the wrong size. It finally came back in, in my size and I ordered it. However, the order got glitched up in transmitting my credit card information to my bank, and the payment was refused. By the time I got that figured out, it was no longer in stock. I literally cried. It was a beautiful dress of ivory silk with embroidery over mesh. And I could not have it. Finally, I ended up choosing four dresses that I ordered to try on, and one that I ultimately chose. This one was almost as beautiful, in blush pink with lace and embroidery over a flared skirt.

Along the way, we encountered several other frustrations and set backs. The worst of which was that my father was unable to be at the wedding. He has been in and out of the hospital since Christmas with complications of myasthenia gravis, and had just been admitted to a rehab center the day before the wedding. While everyone was heartbroken by this development, we faced it with Grace. We also made plans to stop by and visit with him after the wedding, still in our wedding clothes, before hitting the road for our honeymoon. I just trusted that, for whatever reason, this was what God wanted to happen.

The second major crisis was the loss of our minister for the ceremony, mere days before the wedding. We had asked a friend of Rich's boss and best friend, who happens to be a preacher, to officiate several months ago. However, he forgot about it or had the dates mixed up, and made plans to be out of town at a conference that same weekend. To say that I lost it would be a vast understatement. I was quite ready to call the whole thing off at that point. Instead, I got a revelation.

Through all the stress and chaos, I kept thinking that God was convicting me ... us, of something. What, I did not understand. But I knew that we needed to be doing something different, needed to change something. As Rich and I talked it over ... or rather, he talked and I blubbered and sobbed, he said to me that maybe my idea of just eloping that I'd had a few weeks before might not have been such a bad idea. As I was formulating my response to this, that no, we had to have a ceremony ... for our mothers, and for our families, to have a public declaration of our vows, it finally dawned on me; we had lost our focus on the real reason we were having this wedding - for the Glorification of God.

We found another minister, one that was absolutely perfect for us, and for the ceremony we had envisioned. We wanted it to be deeply spiritual, but also fun, and he made us all laugh. We wanted our children to be part of it, and he was all about that. He also needed us as much as we needed him. Seeing God at work in all this has been awesome. We have truly been blessed.

The ceremony was great. My son escorted me, and my daughter was my maid of honor. Two of my sisters in God sang Amazing Grace (the "My Chains are Gone" version, by Chris Tomlin from the movie, Amazing Grace) and they had me in tears. Most of the rest of the music was J.S. Bach, starting with the Brandenburg Concertos as the prelude. I walked to Pachelbel's Canon in D, and we had two prayers to Bach's Air for Suite in D Major and Arioso. There was a bit of a mix up in the recessional, but by that point, it didn't matter. We had been joined as husband and wife before man as well as before God.

Rich's mother and sister arranged the entire reception, food, drinks, decorations, and it was fabulous. One of his daughters made our cakes, and they were beautiful. His nephew's wife took the pictures (which I hope to have soon!), and we were blessed by the presence of not only our family but some very special friends too. The weather, which had been threatening severe thunderstorms all day and ultimately led us to move the ceremony under the carport instead of out on the deck, cooperated at the last minute, the rain held off and finally gave way to the sun for a gorgeous afternoon.

We did make it to my dad's bedside, bringing him food from the reception and a piece of wedding cake too. Then we stopped at my mom's, changed into travel clothes and then hit the road for our honeymoon. We stopped part way there, in Valdosta, Georgia, before continuing to Orlando the next day. We were too exhausted to even think at that point, but very happy and completely content.

I will write about our adventures with Mickey and friends in later posts. Pictures coming soon too!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Goin’ to the Chapel

Well, not exactly the chapel, but we are gonna get married!

It's late Wedding Eve, and we are still getting things ready. This has been truly a Do-It-Yourself Wedding. We made the invitations (though a few got lost in the mail, dang it!), I made the bouquets and other flower arrangements, we wrote the ceremony and our own vows. Even the cakes, we made ourselves. I did buy my dress, but I considered sewing one for a while ...

All that needs to be done now is packing for the honeymoon. Then tomorrow morning we will have a quick rehearsal and walk-through of the ceremony. We also will make final decorating touches and set up the chairs. At this moment, the weather looks to be very much not good, with thunderstorms in the forecast. We have an alternate plan though, and this will go through.

My dad is not going to make it to the wedding ... he has been having an awful time with myasthenia gravis, and has been hospitalized several times in the last few months. Right now, he is just out of a stay at Patricia Neal Rehab, and went into a nursing home for a couple of weeks for continued rehab work. It also gives my mother some respite. But we are planning to stop by there on our way out of town to bring him cake and we will repeat our vows for him. Of course, the whole thing will be video taped, so he can watch that later.

After that, we will be off for a week in sunny Florida where we are gonna hang with Mickey and crew for a few days, see some shows, and just enjoy not having anyone else we know around us. We may or may not be incommunicado ... we haven't decided.

But now, it's time to finish packing and get some sleep.