Grace Grace God's Grace

Okay Okay I know that it has been 17 days since my last post, but let's all say together--crazy! So any grace you would like to give me will be greatly appreciated. I now vow to never look at anyone else's blog and think good grief--hello--could you not blog on a regular basis. Because we don't know what has transpired in their life since their last blog. And to be honest wouldn't that be a good policy to have in life period not just in the land of blog. When we look at someone else's life and think good grief--hello--could you get it together (not that I have ever thought that about anyone hmm hmm but...) any grace we could give would be greatly appreciated I am sure. Any way back to my lack of blogging.

Let me say first, my excuse not to blog began around 3 AM on April the 8th (which by the way was my 43rd birthday). Any who, we woke up to a hail storm--seriously some golf ball size attacking our house--it was the craziest thing. None of the kids woke up--grace. However Carl and I are looking out the front door, out the back windows to make sure we were not being attacked and it really is the weather. We get back into bed and the alarm goes off at 4:30 AM because Carl is headed out of town. At 5:00 AM the loudest KABOOM I have ever heard shook our house. I sat up in bed and said, "Holy cow!" which is funny because I don't know that I have ever said that before, which I suppose is better than alot of other things that I could have said. Carl said, "that blew a transformer somewhere." (Moms of little boys, that is not a toy that changes from a robot to a building, it is a box where electricity runs through and changes to a higher voltage or to a lower voltage whatever the case may be--fyi) And then came round two of the hail storm. Carl left around 5:15 AM kissing me but without telling me happy birthday. I chose to have grace mostly because I was sure that he had left a card for me in our bathroom. Then when I went in the bathroom at 7:05 AM and it wasn't there, however, I chose grace because I was sure that he had left it in my closet. Not there, I chose once again to have grace because I was sure for half a second that surely he had left it in the car--he is cute that way sometimes to leave me notes in the car when he or I one are traveling, but not this time because I then remembered that I had already been in the car to take Andersen to the bus stop and it was not there. Once again I chose to have grace because Carl is so cute and so sweet. And also because after 22 years of birthdays together this is the first that he has forgotten.
Come to find out that KABOOM was actually lightening striking my neighbor's houses. One on either side of us. My neighbor to the left got a HOLE in the roof, flooded their attic, knocked electrical out, phone out, splintered their attic cross beams--a real disaster--they were even on the evening news, it was so bad. And then our neighbors on the right got their electrical outlets burned, microwave, ovens, computers etc totally fried. By God's grace, we were not struck but the impact of whatever messed up our modem and our router. Complete grace because I deserve to be struck and just happened to be smack dab in the middle--literally of God's grace that night. Could have been my birthday present from the Lord--I don't know!
Next excuse for my bloglessness. My nephew got married the following weekend and having procastinated for 5 weeks, I was frantically shopping for a flowergirl dress, and 3 other "wedding outfits" for my kiddos. And then we headed to the wedding...
My nephew who is 23 got married to a precious (and we all know that I do NOT throw that word around lightly!) girl who has an adorable 18 month old son. To be completely honest and transparent, not a parent's ideal for their child but... After setting a wedding date 13 months away, they moved the wedding up to 5 weeks away. I will be a great aunt in November--wow. Again, not a parent's ideal for their son, but...
Can I just tell you my sister and sweet sweet brother-in-law handled this "not ideal" situation with absolute GRACE. I could not have been more proud or impressed with my sister. She not only loved on her daughter-in-law to be through the entire process and planning of the wedding but exhibited grace to them both at every opportunity. Way to long to detail each opportunity, but needless to say I CRIED every time I turned around.
Then my nephew who loves the Lord, has been used by God to be a witness on every championship ball team that he has been a part of, showed ultimate grace to this sweet little boy. After he and Whitney had exchanged their vows, the pastor says, "Blake you have expressed the desire to make a commitment to Peyton as well. So do you Blake, take Peyton to love as your own." Blake, "I do." "Do you promise to raise him in a home where the word of God is taught and lived out." I do. GRACE! Needless to say I didn't even turn around and I was crying! I was so proud.
What an incredibly tough couple of weeks for my sister. I hurt for her and cried for her. But let me tell you the Lord really spoke to me and has forever altered my parenting because of this life event. Not the plan, do you hear me, not the plan. My sister and brother in law are godly godly examples. Have prayed with, for, and over those boys. Raised them in an exceptional Christ centered home. Even though Blake chose to momentarily step outside of God's boundaries, all through out the weekend I could see Blake's heart for the Lord. Even though, yes he messed up you could still see his tenderness toward the things of God. And this is what I feel like the Lord taught me. My goal is not to raise good kids who never mess up, but to raise my kids to have a heart for God, regardless of their mistakes and even through their mistakes to have a heart for Him. And I can tell you that is my goal EveryDay and it will only be by His Grace that will happen. You know what beloved hymn is echoing in my head right now, you got it...Grace grace God's grace, Grace that is greater than all my sins.
Please forgive the never ending blog...could have been longer had I chosen to write about 5th disease, ring worm, Espresso--a ladies event at our church that was the night before we left for the wedding, or driving on 0 miles till empty for 40 miles--you know just EveryDay stuff that took place over the past 17 days.