October 5, 2009 · 6:00 am

Wish I Had A Clever Title For This Post.

I asked Kris last night if he’d guest blog today.  His creative juices were just all dried up after slaving in the kitchen all day.  Seriously.  All. Day.  He cooked lunch and dinner, and he made another batch of these sinful pastries in between:

Cinnamon rolls wp

Sorry ladies, he’s taken. 

Sooo, ya got me today.  Surprised?  I thought not.  It is my blog. 

Our weekend consisted of soccer games, church, cinnamon roll consumption, and lounging in PJ’s all day on Sunday.  Anna head-butted the same boy for a third time during her game.  Kris politely suggested to her coach that he not put the two of them on the field at the same time.  Kris also seems to think Anna isn’t getting enough play time on the field.  (Which, I’m pretty sure she’s getting equal time to her other teammates, but Kris lives in Daddyville.)  He expressed this to her coach as well.  “She is little domineering and intense on the field,” her coach responded.

Domineering?  My four year old?

Whatev’.

In better news, Anna has been wearing undies to school every day.  And, that’s somethin’, right?  We’ve also recovered from her using her “hitting hands” at school.  Oh, wait.  Did I fail to share that one?  Her teacher called a couple of weeks ago to inform us Anna was using her “hitting hands.” 

“Anna, who are you hitting at school?”  I asked her.

After naming one boy, she concludes with “And a bunch of other people.  I don’t know their names.”

Nice.

Kris and I did the appropriate sit down, talk it out, and work it out with her on the issue of “hitting hands.”  We are pleased to announce the Spirit has set her free. 

So far.

That’s our weekend and Anna Takle update.

Now to you!

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October 2, 2009 · 6:00 am

My Pre-Blogging Life: Part Four

journal entry june 03 wp

“Someone has altered the script.  My lines have been changed….I thought I was writing this play.”  – Madeleine L’ Engle

It was this last entry that I acknowledged my life, so far, was much different than I had planned.  I was divorced.  I was a single mother.  And, now I had reconnected with a gentleman named Kris Takle.  I was supposed to still be married to Bryan living in Griffin, Georgia.  Instead, I was engaged to another and soon to be living in Oklahoma. 

OKLAHOMA.

That’s far, far away.

From my family.  My friends.  My church.

But, I wasn’t writing this play.

Sometimes, our life takes a turn, because it’s the providential will of God.  Other times, our life changes its course, because of someone else’s choices.  Or even our choices.  No matter what causes the shift, I know God will turn a mess into a message.  He will heal brokenness.  He will see to it that the work He began, He’ll finish. 

Because, He’s faithful. 

God didn’t cause my shift in life.  But, He did make something really good out of it. 

I’m mean reallllly good.

Kris-kids wp

See?

So, keep holding on.  Keep pressing toward the mark.  Never, NEVER give up.

Need more encouragement?  Hop on over to my good friend, Kim’s testimony.  Seriously!  Go do it! 

He makes all things good.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God….  Romans 8:28

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October 1, 2009 · 8:14 am

My Pre-Blogging Life: Part Three

journal entry jan 03 wp

January 16, 2003, my divorce was final.  Below is the latter part of my journal entry on that day.  If you are going through a difficult time today, I hope these words give you hope.  I hope they help you realize that in the middle of your storm, God’s presence and goodness is always there.

I know these things for certain:

1.  I’m blessed with a beautiful son.

2.  I have friends that carry me, make me laugh, and love me.

3.  My parents love me, and my happiness is their greatest concern.

4.  There is release in forgiveness.

5.  I am strong.

6.  I’m not afraid to love or put my heart on the line.

7.  I’m ready to, pardon the cliché, spread my wings and fly.

8.  Doors are wide open.

9.  It is good to laugh long and hard every day.

10. I’m better than okay.

11. God has only good things for me.

12. Tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.  And, hope does not disappoint.

13. This, too, shall pass.

14. I love my life.

15. I miss my dogs.

16. I love to dance.

17. Running releases stress.

18. I’m the luckiest girl on earth.

19. I’m thankful ’02 is over.

20. I’m thankful for ’02.

Life is an incredible journey.  I learn and grow from every second it offers.  I’m in a great place, and I’ll be in a better place tomorrow.

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September 30, 2009 · 6:00 am

My Pre-Blogging Life: Part Two

I continued to read more of my old journal last night.  I read the frustrations of a fifteen and sixteen year old girl wanting to date one Bryan Landreth.  We’ll save that for a completely different post.  I’m just thankful I’m not sixteen any more.  Can I get an amen? 

I read an entry written in 1998 about loss.  About losing my Grandfather five months after he danced at my wedding.  About losing a best friend to a rare disease only one month after my Grandfather’s passing…….

About how we learned so terribly young to not only tell those dear to us we love them….

but why we love them.

I not only drew closer to friends and family during this time of loss.  I grew closer to my Creator.  I wrote in that July 9, 1998 journal entry:

“God has really been stirring in me a greater need for intimacy with Him.”

We already know that when we draw close to Him, He draws close to us.  Or, perhaps, He draws close to us waiting on us to draw close to Him.  Either way, when we do, we learn this:

journal entry july 98 wp

“The greatest revelation one can obtain is the knowledge that God loves them very much.”

Ya know, even eleven years later, I still believe this to be true.

God loves us so, so very much.  He loves us no matter what we do or don’t do.  His love is unchanging.  And, when we really get the revelation of how much He loves us, we can walk knowing we are forgiven.  We are free.  And, we belong to Him.

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September 29, 2009 · 6:00 am

My Pre-Blogging Life.

Long before I started this Randomness journal online, I had this journal.

journal wp

This book has been in my life since October of 1986.  Susan Woodward (Mimi) gave it to me.  See?

journal - susan wp

That was twenty-three years ago.  TWENTY-THREE!  That would have made me 11 years old.  I pulled out that old journal last night.  I have written in this journal every year since 1986 until 2003.  My very first entry began like this:

Journal entry 86 wp

The title of my entry was “The First Time the Lord Spoke to Me.”  I read through the writing of an eleven year old with a thirty-four year old heart.  I can still remember her and what she felt.  I read about a young girl wanting to hear God speak to her about a situation.  I wanted to hear a yes or a no.  I simply heard a trust that my parents’ decision is the will of God. 

I can remember my father telling me “no” concerning an event I wanted to hear a “yes” to.  I wrote, “Before the Lord spoke to me, I just knew I’d be disappointed if dad said no.” 

When God speaks, it should bring us peace.  It should make trusting Him easier, because His thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts.  It was such a simple concept for me to grasp at age 11.  But, at 34, I forget, on occasion, to be solely dependent on Him and what He says. 

I forget to trust His voice.

I forget to trust His voice in scriptures. 

I need that eleven year old girl to remind me more often that His very voice can calm stormy waters and bring peace to an unsettled heart. 

How do I ever forget that?

Incline my heart to your word.  Psalm 119:36

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September 28, 2009 · 6:00 am

Our Weekend In Pictures.

I’m officially the mother of a seven year old.

JH - 7yo wp

Er, soccer is back.

Anna - weekend wp

Daddy Bryan came out to celebrate.

Bryan - JH weekend wp

So did Nan.

Mom - weekend wp

My husband rocks. 

Kris - JH weekend wp

But, he rocks every weekend.

And, this is what 15 ½ weeks looks like.

Pregnant 15 wks wp

Well, it’s what it looks like on me. 

Let’s be honest.  There are probably a few of Kris’ homemade cinnamon rolls in that picture, too. 

It was a fun weekend filled with a ton of love.  I am thankful for a Nan is who continues to be a great mom.  I am thankful for a daughter who lets her fun personality show in her pictures.  I am thankful for a son who makes my heart melt.  And, I’m thankful for two dads who love that one son so much that they even enjoy one another.

Oh, and I’m thankful for the littlest Takle.

That’s my weekend.

How was yours?

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September 25, 2009 · 7:40 am

New Book. New Thought.

After my doctor’s appointment yesterday checking up on the littlest Takle, I had an hour or so to spare.   Barnes and Noble sounded more than appealing.  And quiet.  And they had a book waiting for me with my name on it. 

Not to mention some hot chocolate at the Café.  

Cindy Beall has been talking a lot about the book, “Leading On Empty.”  Wayne Cordeiro wrote the book with leaders in mind; however, it’s an incredible book for moms, dads, college students, doctors, garbage collectors…..

Anyone.

Wayne Cordeiro suffered from burn-out, and he shares his journey on “refilling (his) tank and renewing (his) passion.”  And, we are all susceptible to burn-out.

I’ll share more on the book once I finish it.  But, I’m really excited about the read. 

One statement in the introduction Cordeiro writes is, “Suffering will change us, but not necessarily for the better.  We have to choose that.  And it was that choosing that made all the difference for me.”

Many of us have experienced suffering on some level.  For me, my divorce was just that.  But, I didn’t become defined by my divorce.  I’m not “Dusty, the divorced chick.”

I am “Dusty, the restored, wife, mother, and child of God.” 

So, if you’re going through the fire right this moment, choose to let it change you for the better. 

And, on that note, have a great weekend!

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September 24, 2009 · 6:00 am

What Does He See?

Every once and awhile, he commandeers my camera.  When I upload my pics, I’m sure to find one like this:

JH - 7yo blog

And this:

JH 7yo blog 2

I don’t dare delete them.  Not even the random pictures of a plant on my end table.  It gives me a peek into what captures his attention.  I’m sure he goes back and observes his photography on my digital camera.  And, I’m sure he sees his self-portraits. 

I wonder what he sees when he sees himself.

Does he notice how beautiful his eyes are?

How his gentle spirit emanates from him every time he smiles?

Does he see God’s grace in his reflection even though he doesn’t know what to call it?

Does he see how he was perfectly and wonderfully made?

Because, that’s what I sure see every time I look at him. 

That’s what I saw seven years ago today when I held him in my arms for the very first time.  He is my sweet reminder of God’s incredible presence in my life in the midst of joy and suffering.  He is my sweet reminder that no matter what season I am forced to endure, God’s grace is always sufficient.

Happy Birthday, John Henry. 

Love, love, love you.

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September 23, 2009 · 6:00 am

New Season. New Thing.

I put long pants and long sleeves on my four year old yesterday morning.  I didn’t need the AC blasting on high.  I lit my Pumpkin Spice candle.

Autumn had officially begun.

There is something magical about the start of Spring and Autumn that sends an excitement pumping through my veins.  Spring means I can break out my favorite flip flops.  It means that new things are getting ready to appear.  Fresh things.  Leaves begin to make a once barren tree beautiful. 

It’s a new beginning.

Autumn means I can break out my comfy Ugg boots.  It means I can bear to sit outdoors a little longer without wiping sweat from my brow.  The leaves turn the most amazing colors before they touch the ground. 

I’m glad a new season is here.  I need a new season.  I need a falling away of the old so God can do something new. 

I am trusting God to do something different this season.  Something new.  Something good.  As a matter of fact, when I have prayed recently, I have referenced the changing season and claimed new and good things over my family. 

So, along with the joys of candy corn and soups on a stove, I’m going to walk in the joys of God doing something new in my life.

Do you need God to something new in you or your family? 

Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new thing!  Isaiah 43:18-19

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September 22, 2009 · 6:00 am

Nostalgia And Smells.

Smells - Anna-Mom

I tucked her into bed.  I went to kiss her. 

“Mom, I love the way you smell.”

Be still my beating heart.  Be still.

When I posted this sweet little happening on the Twitter, my friend, @kristenfountain2 said she “loved the way (her) mom smelled when (she) was little.” 

“I can still imagine it,” she recalled.

It’s amazing how smells bring back memories of people or places.  The smell of Oil of Olay makes me think of my mom.  Ivory soap?  Big Mama.  I can’t smell car grease without thinking of my Grandfather. 

Oh, and a brand new box of Crayola Crayons?  First day of school.  Any first day in elementary school.

These familiar smells can unleash a flood of memories.

What smells bring back memories for you?

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