"A" for effort

It is the week of Mother's Day...and once again, I believe I am high in the running for "Mom of the Year." If it is not my unbelievable amount of patience I exhibit every day towards my children, the way I model for them a Christ-like life in all I say and do, (HA HA!!!!), I should at least get it for the amount of poopy diapers I have changed for little man Zach this week! Whew!!

But today I do at least get an "A" for EFFORT!! I have had a lot to remember this week because it is teacher appreciation week at school and every day there is something new that we are doing. I have limited brain cells anyway, so I am doing my best to remember everything! But today, I went over the top. It was "Cowboy Day" at Taylor's preschool, or so I thought. I looked at the preschool calendar yesterday that hangs on my fridge and read that this Wednesday is cowboy day. Well, unlike some moms, I don't just happen to have cowboy outfits laying around. I mean, I have a princess for goodness sakes!! So, I called my friend, Ashley, and she said her son, Will, had a cowboy outfit Taylor could borrow that he wore this past year for Halloween. SO, last night, we got that together and I was just proud of myself for remembering!! Funny note about the cowboy outfit (vest and chaps)...Taylor wears a size 5/6 and the cowboy outfit is a size 2T. Nice!

This morning, Taylor proudly came in and woke me up all ready to "giddy up" into her day sporting her cowboy outfit! We got to school and it seemed all her other classmates had obviously forgotten! Taylor kept asking different mom's why their kids were not dressed up like she was and she was so excited to show off her outfit to everyone we saw. Some mom's said "We just didn't have anything at home"...so it wasn't clicking with myself or anyone else that maybe this was the wrong day! We got into her classroom and I thought "Wow-I am good! I must be the ONLY one who remembered! " "MOM OF THE YEAR" at last! I was joking with another mom about how Taylor's cowboy outfit was maybe a tad small but she was excited to wear it anyway, and that mom pointed to the calendar and said "Cowboy day is next week". Get this...I even looked at her point to Wednesday, May 12, and I said,"No, that is today!" She said "No, today is May 5th." It still took a minute to sink in, as I looked around at ALL the other kids dressed in their normal school clothes, and then it sunk in, I was a week early! HA!

So, I broke the news to Taylor, and she began to disrobe her cowboy attire. I could not stop laughing at myself and how adamant I was that TODAY IS FREAKIN' COWBOY DAY EVERYONE!! SO, next Wednesday, we will try again...but you do have to at least give me an "A" for effort today,right?

Happy Cowboy day everyone... a week early!!

New journals

I went and bought two new journals today. I love to journal and have journaled pretty regularly since I was in high school; however, these journals are not for me. These are going to be journals I keep for my children. I got the idea from my dear friend, Pam Sharp. She told me recently about how she has kept journals for her children ...chronicling special times in their lives,etc.

I definitely don't do well with pictures/photo albums and such so this might work for me! My intent is to use these journals as places to write about special things that happen in their lives, but also to write down prayers for them. Taylor has been giving me a really hard time lately (please pray for her if you are reading this, and pray for me as well!!) and I am just trusting that God will soften and change her heart. I think it will be helpful to write down specific prayers for both Taylor and Zach, prayers for their future spouses, for their friendships, for their relationships with God and then watch and see how God works in their precious lives.

I will also include Phillip in this journaling endeavor if he wants to participate. I think it will be a really cool gift to give them someday, maybe when they get married (after age 30, of course!!) So, off to journal entry #1 in both journals today!!

I am a broken funnel

I had the privilege to go to Winston Salem this past Friday night to speak to a group of ladies on Saturday morning at Reynolda Pres. Church. I stayed in a hotel Friday night, which was utter bliss...because I was able to sleep in a room that was as dark as a cave!! (-:

I got to the church on Saturday morning around 8:15am (which if you know me, that is EARLY for a Saturday!!) and the meeting was to begin at 9am. I went early because I was asked to come early so a group of ladies could pray for me before I spoke. That was really great because I realized Friday night as I was praying about my talk on Saturday morning, that it is hard sometimes to walk into a room cold turkey and speak to a group of people who have never seen you before! I was praying for a quick repoire with the ladies I was speaking to, and that they would hear what God wanted them to hear. I also prayed that my words would not be my own and that I would speak with clarity.

After being at the church for a bit, the women who were going to pray with me came and got me. Once these women started praying, I was definitely touched and thought "I would love to have these women come and pray with me every day!!" They seemed to all have very intimate relationships with God. One lady in particular spoke words I will never forget. She started by saying, "This week as I was praying for you Cammie, God gave me a word picture." When people begin something by saying "God spoke to them" or "God gave them a picture", my ears definitely perk up! Then she said, "Cammie, the picture God gave me is that you are a broken funnel." Huh? A broken what? She went on..."There is a funnel in my home that is bent and worn and broken, but when you pour something into it, it still works...the water pours through still and then comes out strong though the end of the funnel. That is like your message today, Cammie. You may be broken and damaged, but the Lord wants to use you and He wants you to be the funnel for Him."

Now, no one wants to be told they are broken (ha!), but of course, I know that I am. I know that I screw up all the time and the fact that God still uses me is mind boggling. It was so cool though, as those words were prayed over me, I felt such a peace come over me. I don't have to hide. I don't have to pretend. I am who I am ... and I am a broken "funnel" that wants to be available for God's Spirit to flow through.

It sure does take the pressure off. God is who is being poured through the funnel...I need only to be available. I don't know the name of that lady who prayed for me and gave me that word picture, but it is surely one I will not forget.

Good date night questions

Phillip and I love to go out on dates. We just seem to connect better when we are away from our home/routine/diaper changing. Yesterday we were able to go out on a "date afternoon" because my parents kept the kids at their house (ALWAYS A HUGE GIFT TO US!!) We ran an errand, then went and hung out at Caribou coffee, each of us taking time to read the Bible, pray, journal,etc. and then we topped it off by having dinner at Village Tavern. We were able to enjoy outdoor seating and it was a beautiful night so that was a major plus!

I had brought along some questions that I had heard before that are great to ask your spouse every once in a while:

1. What have you been observing in me lately?
2. What is inspiring you?
3. What is encouraging you?
4. What is challenging you?

Phillip and I found those to be great questions to discuss last night. If you know me, you know that I love asking questions anyway, and I am always up for some good, in-depth conversation! I definitely learned some things I did not know were going on with Phillip and so that encouraged me to try and be a better question asker of him in the future.

I wrote my parents a note thanking them for keeping the kids. It was definitely a win-win. My children LOVE being with their grandparents, and I in turn told them that when they do that for us, they are making an investment in Phillip and I having a healthier marriage. So, here's to dates and good question asking!! (-:

A Grateful Heart

Do you ever have those times in life when you sit back and realize just how grateful you are?
It has been one of those weeks for me. I have been in a season of blessing and I am so grateful.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of speaking on a youth retreat. It was for the youth of Two Rivers Evangelical Free Church of Knoxville, Tennessee where my very good friend, Chris Jessen, is the youth pastor. Here is a pic of he and his son, Oliver.


It was just one of those weekends that I felt so blessed and privileged to be a part of what God is doing in people's lives...and on this particular weekend, it was the lives of an awesome group of high school students and leaders. This was the second year I have spoken on this same retreat and I feel like these folks are really a part of my heart.

So, this week I have had such a full heart. I love that God is giving me opportunities to do what I love to do, and I feel very blessed!

Lake Forest Women's Retreat

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Last weekend was our Lake Forest women's retreat. I can honestly say it was one of the best weekends I have had in a long, long time. The above verse was our theme verse for the retreat and the topic was "Filled to Overflow." We talked about the four thieves that rob us as women from being filled to overflow- unmet expectations, comparison, busyness, and distractions.

It was a beautiful weekend in the mountains and it was amazing to experience it with 90 women! It has struck me again how cool it is to retreat with other people of like minds. These are some of the most beautiful women I have ever met. We laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and shared our lives together over a 48 hour period. Once we got away from our everyday lives and created the "space" to hear God and also hear one another, God saw that opening and moved in powerful ways! Women shared their pain, their struggles, and their joys together. Some met one another for the first time and began friendships over the weekend. Others had the chance to catch up with old friends...like I did. I was able to grab coffee with a dear friend for a couple of hours on Saturday.

The weekend filled my soul in so many ways. I am a believer in retreats!!! I saw firsthand God move in the lives of many women, including my own, and it was a privilege to be a part of it all. My prayer is that the "thief" will not steal what we received over the weekend and that God will continue to remind us all of the "good work"He did in our lives over those two days together.

I am in a club!

Do you ever feel like you have entered into a place where you feel part of a "club"? Clubs seem to have their own language, filled with people who share a common interest. Some clubs feel exclusive...and yet some are exclusive only because of what they share in common.

For example, I know many people who are in the "cancer" club. This is not a club they would have chosen to be in; however they have met so many new people though being a part of the "club." They have words that they toss around that only they really understand. They also have fears, thoughts and emotions that only people who are in that "club" really understand.

Then there is infertility. I have met some people in that "club". They support one another, ask questions of one another, share stories with one another, and I imagine they cry together too...joyful tears at times and really sad, disappointed tears at other times.

When I was pregnant, I definitely felt like I was in a "club" with all the other pregnant people I would see. Even the ones walking in a mall...especially during the later months of my pregnancies. We would give each other that knowing look like"Oh yeah, I understand how uncomfortable you are right now. Oh,and the nearest bathroom is right over there." (-:

There are all sorts of "clubs" out there...the "exercise fanatic" club, the "working mom" club, the "unemployed" club, and the list goes on.

The club I am in is one I joined on October 14, 2008 (the day Zach was born). It is the "MOM of a child with Down Syndrome" club. Now this is not a club I had any aspirations of joining. In fact, two years ago, I did not even know this club existed. I was hesitant to join at first, but as soon as I did, I was met with great acceptance , love, and an understanding that only mom's with these special kids can truly understand.

I went to dinner with six other mom's last night who are in this "club." We laughed together, and we shared stories. We talked about our kids and we shared tips, challenges, and funny moments that we all seem to encounter. We used codes like "PT, OT, and Speech" and no one had to even ask what those stood for. Well, this was because we all became quickly familiar with those abbreviations once we joined the "club". We go out once a month and have these "mom's night outs" and they have quickly become a highlight of each month. I feel understood when I am there. I feel supported. I feel like we can talk about anything-not just our children who happen to have Down Syndrome, but other topics as well-our jobs, schools, our "typical" children,our faith, and even our fears. I sat back last night and looked around the table. What a neat collection of women! These are women I respect because I know what they are going through! We all have different stories and different backgrounds, and yet we all share a common bond that has enabled the walls to come down quickly. It amazes me to think this is not a path I knew I would be traveling, but now that I am, well, I really enjoy it, feel privileged to be a part of it, and am thankful to have so many others to walk this path with me!

So, I realize little Zach is the one to thank for opening my world to this "club"!! If he had not entered my world, I would not have had dinner last night with some amazing women, who I have so much to learn from!

So, thank you God for this "club"...no fees, but GREAT rewards!!!