Thanks!

Lori

Comments??

First let me say, that I’m sure at some point in my life (maybe even now), I’m the turkey in the adage. So I point my finger at myself, too.

But…

I sometimes HATE to volunteer because I really dislike being treated like I’m brainless. I also dislike disorganization when I show up to help. And, yes, I realize, Jesus would never have felt like this. Yes, I know that SOMETIMES I just don’t have a “servant’s heart.”

And maybe I’m still just a little bitter regarding certain school organizations to be a completely dedicated servant in that area.

And I have to wonder why God continues to put those frustrating people in my life that I have to deal with!

I want to be like Jesus, but somedays, I can only be a turkey.

Gobble, gobble.

Sooooo….

Craig came in and started ranting about China and how our economy and Americans are way too dependent on Chinese products. He’s right you know. Check out the “made in…” part of most any item you own. Guaranteed that 95% of it says, “Made in China.” I guess he was even more steamed about the lack of freedom of religion in the country and the fact that the population truly does not earn an honest wage for those millions of cheap items we buy from them.

Case in point…they Olympics commentators were talking about how much it cost to put on the whole big impressive show (and it was very impressive) for the opening of the games. Did you hear how much? Over $300 MILLION. Any idea how much the average person makes per day in China? $2 a DAY. There’s something wrong about that, I don’t care HOW fabulous the production was. How much did it help the average person in the populace? Probably now much outside of a little national pride.

I’m not saying we should have boycotted the games. I just think we are too dependent on the Chinese economy for our own comfort and well-being at the expense of a lot of very poor people who are terribly oppressed.

Ok, I’ll step off the soapbox now.

On my walk yesterday I listened to a sermon by Erwin McManus of Mosaic Church on my cute green iPod. It just happened to be about the will of God. I really enjoyed it, too. It made my walk in 1000 degree weather much more enjoyable (and no, the extra zero there was not a mistake!).

Maybe I should back-track a bit. I have always wondered WHY I bothered to spend an extra 2 years of my life after college getting an advanced degree. I have a specialized MBA called a Masters of International Business. I worked hard on learning to be fluent in German and even did an internship in Germany in marketing research. But then I got out of school, got a job in pharmaceuticals and have only spoken German in 2000 when I went with my mom to Germany on vacation. I haven’t even thought much about international trade and I’m sure I’ve forgotten more than I ever learned.

So why did I do it? Did I miss the will of God for my life?

Fast-forward a bit to McManus’ sermon…one of his points was that our life is about the PROCESS of becoming Christ-like. We are works in progress and everything in our life shapes us to the image of Christ. It’s not always about success as it’s sometimes about failure and pain and difficulties that shape us the most. If life were “easy” why would we need to rely on God to help us? Right? He also talked about how truly great athletes don’t just focus on the goal, they focus on the process – the diligent training that will get them to their goal.

So back to the question of WHY did I labor through a very intensive program like MIBS? I always imagined that I would be VP of International Marketing one day. Truly that was my GOAL. When that didn’t exactly pan out, I have often wondered if maybe God would send me on a mission trip where I could use my knowledge of the German language. Nope. That hasn’t happened yet and doesn’t appear it will as far as I can see into the future. I don’t even have some fabulous job where I use my very expensive education.

Again I ask…did I miss the will of God for my life?

In listening to McManus’ sermon, I think I can answer that.

No.

Because the PROCESS of going through a rigorous Master’s program gave me immense confidence in myself and my abilities. I never thought I was that smart, yet somehow I managed to get through the top-rated international business program in the US. I lived and worked in a foreign country. I learned to be truly independent as a young adult. The whole process made me who I am now as an adult. And who’s to say that SOMEDAY I just might be able to use my German language ability for the glory of God? I keep praying for that to happen.

In process. Sometimes that seems like being between a rock and a hard place in life. Sometimes it’s hard to see that any of it makes sense. But maybe that’s what faith is all about. For now I’ll just trust Him to figure it out.

The Jimi Hendrix album started the whole decorating idea.

Craig and I dug into our vinyl stash to help with the “remodel.”

Grayson relaxing in his new comfy space. A few of his favorie pix are on the wall as well as some of his Coca-cola collection and shot glass collection.

It all started last week when Grayson and I had to take his sax to a repair shop in old Carrollton. Grayson is an avid Coca-cola collector, so I suggested we run into the antique store just down from the repair shop. He had a blast. Though most of the Coca-cola items were more than his lawn-mowing budget would allow, he did find one piece of inspiration.

In a bin of “antique” record albums, he found a Jimi Hendrix album. It was cheap ($4) and he didn’t care if it worked or not. So he bought it with the thought of hanging it on his wall. Since it looked so good, he decided to add some more album art for decoration. Since his dad is such an audiophile, Craig searched through his album collection for some artistic pieces. The Boston albums were my contribution. We also found a couple of keepers at Half Price Books. The nice sales clerk gave him 2 of the albums for 98 cents each. Cool!

He has a few more finishing touches to go to get his “space” just the way he wants it. I think it looks totally awesome and is a true reflection of one unique teen.

Until recently.

I signed up for a Facebook account back in April. I didn’t really do anything with it until my sweet niece in South Carolina found me and made me her “friend.” It’s kind of snowballed from there.

I’ve been finding quite a few folks I know on Facebook. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with the whole thing. I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time already reading blogs and writing my own blog. (Not that it’s rocket science to write this thing!)

But there’s something about being part of “community” with folks you hold dear. So if it has to be cyber-community, hey – I’m in. Plus I think it might be a better venue for posting pictures than this blog.

So for you loyal readers, don’t worry – I’m not planning on giving up my blog for Facebook. I am still a frustrated writer who needs the free therapy that this blog gives me.

But if you’re part of the Facebook community, come be my friend here.

With Grayson (bass/sax/younger son) home alone these days and Reagan (drummer/older son) away at camp for 3 weeks I’m starting to get the sense of what it’s going to be like this fall when Reagan goes off to California to school.

Quiet. Very quiet.

And I’m starting to see that my days of mommyhood are nearing an end.

I know that once Reagan goes to Idyllwild and lives away for even a few months, his “need” for Mom (as we’ve known it) will lessen. My prayer, of course, has always been for my boys to grow up and be independent. I guess I’ve always been praying myself out of a job. It just has happened faster than I thought it would.

So for those of you that have asked, “Won’t you miss your son by sending him AWAY to school so EARLY?” The answer is a HUGE “YES!!” But isn’t that what we attempt to do as parents? Empower our kids to leave the nest and fly on their own.

This is all very unsettling to me on many fronts. I wonder if I’ve done my job well enough. Have I poured all the wisdom I can into my son’s head and heart yet? Is he ready to fly solo (as solo as he can in a somewhat controlled environment of boarding school)? What am I going to do when Grayson leaves the nest in just 5 years? Have I prayed enough? How will I tolerate the QUIET in the house???

Funny, huh? I think the Mommy Job is the only job in the world that we expect planned obsolescence.