A Lesson in Dining and other Things

 Today was hard on the mama. Those words of wisdom I couldn't remember came like a flood at 6 am.

To Erin (text at 7am...yes, I realize she was probably still sleeping):Today after your clothes are put away, take some time to sit and plan out your tomorrow. Make a list of what you need to get done. Use your calendar on your phone to plan these around your soccer schedule.  Use your magnets to hang signs and messages on your desk.Rest your body, your mind and your spirit today. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.

Later today from Erin: Did you take my handbook home?

Erin seems to be struggling a little bit in her new place. In the last 24 hours she lost her keys, her wallet and now her handbook.  Good thing is that all were recoverable.  She's just out of sync and needs to get her head in the game.  And all day today the Lord was revealing things to me...so I prayed that He allow me to be Jesus to her and share them with her.

When we seem to be struggling, He said, "First you must trust me. Tell me what is upsetting you and leave it with me." Job 13:15

"Instead of searching for the whys and hows, search for Me. Put your faith in Me. Not in your ability to figure everything out. "  Proverbs 3:5-6

My daughter has pushed against my faith-led teaching for years.  I kept leading as I was led.  

"Enter the journey, the way may be long. Enter the journey, yet we are made strong. God's spirit will guide us, God's gifts will unfold. Enter the journey hope."

Then the readings today were for me.  If you don't share with a man what is right, and he goes astray, it (his future) is on you. If you share with the man and he goes astray, it is on him. Somewhere in Ezekiel.

So I struggled with this all day, but I  prayed about it and left it with God, and I know that whatever happens for her, good or bad, God has a reason and He is going to lead her back to Him.  I can't let it worry me. Worry and fear are of the devil. Yall, I will say it again for the ones in the back. Worry and fear are of the devil.

And to Erin I say:  I am off work on Thursday. If you need me to come down, I will. Not to micromanage her, but to offer her support or guidance and be a sounding board. I can do that from here, but it is so much better to be there in person. I won't do it often, or hardly at all, but I sense an uneasiness in my daughter that I have never sensed before, and I think she needs a little more....something.

First Date

So while I am working with Erin, Meghan has come and wants an opportunity to wear the pretty jewelry her daddy has bought her.  "Can Lynn and I go on a date?"

"How will you pay for it? Who will drive? What will you do?"click here for the crickets

So she has me do her hair and she borrows my clothes. Have yall seen her?  She's a stick figure and I am really curvy!! We find something that will work and she has glittery, shiny things dripping from her ears...and neck...and hair....

I get the boy, and he gets dressed up.

She helps me cook...we make pork chops and corn bread, field peas, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. We set a candle light dinner for two with the table cloth and all the things.  She blind-folds him...and I walk him into the kitchen.  Yall, he doesn't get special treats often.  When I took the blind-fold off he just hugged her....forever.

When you have kids, you play with them. You teach them in the play. Even when they are 16, you can still teach them.  Driving lessons are like play time for most big kids...but they are learning experiences every time.  The same is true for dining experiences. It is such a responsibility to raise a young man.  God places a lot of trust in you when He gives you one of His sons to be yours. We always talk about Mary, but what about Joseph?  How honored he must have felt that God chose him to raise His only son!!!  It is so important also to teach girls not only how to be ladies but also what to expect from a man. If her daddy doesn't treat her right, then how can he expect her to know when a boy isn't?

And so I played the waitress at Dogwood House of Wood Haven that was located on the edge of MirLyn Forest.  Lynn thought it was a little weird at first, but he warmed up to the idea.  By the end of the night, they BOTH thanked me for not only a wonderful meal, but the time that they were able to spend together without interruption from others...or a cell phone!!

And as God would have it, so I could sleep well tonight, Erin called and said she made friends and they were all changing into their pjs to go hang out in the ski-lodge style lobby they have there in their dorm.

Life is good today.

MJ