Happy 4th of July! Before you race off to your picnics and fireworks today, please, take a moment to think about what today stands for. Remember the men and women who faced being charged with treason in order to give us the freedoms we cherish today. And please, take a moment to look at our beautiful American flag, and remember what it stands for and what it has stood through. Have a safe holiday.

The Old Ragged Flag, Johnny Cash

My Beautiful America, Charlie Daniels Band

Betty

Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1Peter1:2b

Way back at the beginning of the year, our churches began preparing for summer camps. Our family had to make some decisions. Which camps could we budget and for whom? Truthfully, none were in our budget, but there are usually plenty of fundraisers to partake in. Therefore, the bottom line was not who went to what camp, but rather how thin was Mom willing to spread herself across fundraisers, homeschooling, and work? So, in the interest of maintaining peace, harmony, and Mom’s sanity, we opted for Colleen to go to BigStuf for the very first time and Jared to go to Cub Scout Day Camp for the very first time. Although BigStuf has a large price tag attached to it, Cub Scout Camp did not, especially after my dear husband volunteered for the week. (Side note for husband: Have I told you how proud of you I am that you did that? Well, I am. But, I digress.) Anyway, the decision was made, the kids were signed up for their respective camps, and I stood ready to flip pancakes, wash cars, and set up yard sales. Here’s where that peak at God’s Plan would have been helpful. 

You see, in my mind, plans were set. Little did I know, more plans were in the works. Unfortunately, the big picture was still hidden from view. We only got to glimpse a piece or two at a time as everything fell together…or apart, depending on your perspective. So, while I was admiring the pretty little piece in front of me, God was busy moving others behind me. Colleen found a wrangler program and added four more weeks of camp to the schedule. However, because of her weekly baby sitting during church staff meetings, she earned a scholarship to BigStuf, which eliminated all but one fundraiser from the calendar, but it was too late to jump into the fundraisers for Jared to go to KidsCamp. So, by the end of May, the new plan was for Colleen to go to horse camp for four weeks and BigStuf for one, and for Jared to go to Cub Scout Day Camp for one week. I can work with this.

Unfortunately, because of a series of unfortunate events at the horse camp, Colleen came home early and the other three weeks were removed from the calendar. However, a scholarship opened up for Jared to go to KidsCamp with the church. Oh, and did I mention that we are going to North Carolina in two weeks to help dear friends of ours to move. Yeah, it was news to me, too. Oh, and I walked into work this week to find the entire service area where I work completely rearranged and the company is going from weekly paychecks to bi-weekly paychecks. And one of my favorite grocery stores has been bought out by one of my least favorite grocery stores.

So, here I sit, looking at my planner filled with cross-outs, and scribbles, and last minute changes, and I have a choice to make. I could rebel against this season of change. I could let all of these changes overwhelm me to the point where even changing my clothes would be stressful. Or, I could just lean on God a bit more and wait it out. His ways are so much higher than my ways, and I know that my very human mind may never comprehend His ways this side of heaven. But I do know that by leaning on Him, I will be better on the other side of this season. Psalm 23 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Did you ever notice it doesn’t say that He walks us around that valley? No, He walks us through the valley. Not around, not over, not under, but through. And it doesn’t matter if your valley is at this moment truly the “valley of the shadow of death” or just a season of chaos, there is nothing to fear. He promises get you through. And remember the encouragement in James 1:2-5 which tells us that our trials mature our faith. So, if you are having the same chaotic summer I am, let me know so we can pray for each other and lean a little more heavily on the Lord together. We can’t get that little peak into God’s Day Planner for us, but we can encourage each other to trust Him and His plans a bit more. 

Thanks for stopping by today. It was nice to have a little company. Tom’s at work, Jared’s at camp, Colleen’s at the movies, so it’s just me, the dog, and the chickens. More tea?

Betty

Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1Peter1:2b

My SIL just called...the Dr said his best hope for survival was to remove the damaged part of his brain. My Aunt Nina said he wouldn't want that...and we all know he truly wouldn't want that. So, they are now doing only comfort measures and do not expect him to recover.

Thomas and I are fixing to leave for town. His braces' appmt is at 1 and we have several other stops to make beforehand. One of those stops will be to the thrift store to hopefully find some clothes for me. I fear I will be making a trip to NY soon and need something better than my stained house clothes...

Thank you for praying,
Laurie

Oh, thankfully, my brother just called.

The brain pressure number is high....he's been between 12 and 20. He shot up to over 100, has gone down to 50 and back up again. From what I understand, this number is the pressure in his brain, the lower the better.

Also, his blood pressure is over 200 over something...my brother wasn't sure.

Just pray.....please pray.....

PLEASE PRAY RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know the details....the phone rang just minutes ago, and in my sleepy stupor ( we went to bed at 2 after Toby got home, then were up from 3-5:30 with Natalie and Mary vomiting again), I didn't realize who was calling and by the time I did, (it was my brother in NY), he had left a message.

I've tried calling him back, but just get his voice mail, same with Mom...

Anyhow, his message said that Uncle Wayne took a turn for the worst about 3:30am today. His brain pressure and blood pressure both have sky-rocketed and if they don't come down, the Dr says it doesn't look good...

A little prayer for my brother to call me back soon would be nice....I HATE being so far away....especially when I can't get a hold of anyone...

Thank you!

Shhhh! Do you hear that? It is the comfort of your home calling you. PJs, coffee (your flavor), and four fun filled days just for you!

In our quest to bring you the absolute best home school resource online, we have listened to your requests and are providing you with a fun filled online adventure! On July 31st through August 3rd, we will be hosting Heart of the Matter Online's first annual Virtual Home school Conference! We will be providing the attendees with motivational speakers, video tutorials, free products, question and answer sessions, and a vendor hall - all ONLINE! Just log on and either listen live during that time or log in at your convenience and listen to the audios.

We are trying our best to make it the most user and speaker-friendly conference possible. I know that God blessed us by helping us find this amazing conference software. The speaker will just log in at her/his scheduled time, with a plugged in microphone, speak about their topic(approximately 30-40 minutes), and then hold a Q/A session with the listeners (approximately 20-30 minutes). All the while the attendees will get to chat amongst themselves in true Instant Message format.

We really want the conference to be less like a "seminar" and more like a bunch of close friends in a chat room. We want everyone to feel comfortable. Some sessions will also be pre-recorded. Just wait till you see what some of your favorite home school personalities have done to educate and entertain you! At the end you will join in to chat with them, ask questions, and they will answer.

Today has been filled with bad news....tragedies abound for our local Home Depot family...

Toby received a phone call from one of the assistant managers from work...one of his co-workers did not show up for work....they called and called, but got no answer (he was a dept supervisor). The boss finally got his home address, mapquested it and went to check it out. When he got there, the door was locked and his truck was in the driveway. He called the cops cause he couldn't get in. They broke the door down...and discovered him dead on the couch.

Later this evening, Toby had another phone call from a co-worker. She told him of two more deaths....one co-worker's mother in law passed away. We don't know any more information about this....

And the most sad....a 5 year old grandson of an assistant manager died. He was at the Air Show in Huntsville. There was a storm, with straight line winds of nearly 50mph. This blew over tents and made a huge mess. The boy was killed when a generator fell on top of him.

The past week has been one of reflection for me. The events of the last week seem to just reinforce to me the brevity of life. From my Uncle Wayne fighting for his life in the critical care unit (he's still fighting...and seems to be improving!)....to the tragic death of a 5 year old boy.....Without Jesus, how does one get through such trials? Life can end in an instant...in so many ways.

Show those you love that you love them. Don't hold back. Forgive those who have hurt you. Hug those you love. Don't hold a grudge. Don't be too hard on your children. Don't withhold affection from your husband. Don't forget to tell your friends how much they mean to you. For you just truly never know when you will have your last opportunity to do so. I have always tried to live this way...but will be ever more steadfast in doing so. Life is fleeting...and I don't want to leave behind anything but great memories, love and friendship to those I treasure.

I've always said to my Honey that there is always time for a kiss. He jokes with me that I like to kiss too much. I joke back that there is no such thing. But, we've always kissed whenever we part....whether Honey's going away to work or just outside to feed the cats. I've always had it in the back of my mind that you just never know when that parting will be the last. The events of the last week have shown me just how true that is.

So, go kiss your Honey. Hug your children and tell them you love them. Call up that friend you've wronged and apologize. Get in touch with those loved ones that you haven't spoken to for some dumb reason. Just reach out to those you hold dear....cause you just never know when you will have had your last opportunity to do so...

Today's verse of the day really spoke to me...

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

Words fitly spoken. Words that I needed to hear!