wake-up calls, softball and life

as i look back on my teen years and on my whole life thus far, it's clear that i received a number of important wake-up calls. as i inquire into the lives of others, most people feel the same way. many will acknowledge that the wake-up calls are there for the taking, as long as we acknowledge and respect them.

wake-up calls can be anything from a fight with your sibling that gets a little out of hand or a little too rough, to being caught cheating on a test and thrown out of school. in both if these instances, and in so many others like them, the experience sends a shock, minor or major, through your mind, a feeling like, "oh, no, what have i done?" you might feel awkward or embarrassed--or you might feel uncomfortable or relieved. in any event, there is a message to be heard.

while you usually don't enjoy or appreciate wake-up calls while they are happening, often you may look back on these experiences as being turning points in your life; extremely important lessons that were learned. i heard a story of a teen who was caught stealing. it was humilitating, embarrassing and painful. yet that teen grew up to be a kind, generous, and loving person, someone who has really made a difference in the lives of others. when asked, he points to the awful experience as being among the most important in his entire life. it turned out not to be a tragedy after all because he learned so much from it.

two things can happen after a mess-up, mistake or mishap. you can pretend it didn't happen, deny your involvement, run away, or avoid the consequences the best you can. or you can say to yourself and others, "i'm going to learn from this experience and become a better person because of it." this decision is one of those really difficult things to make in life, but one that makes an enormous difference over the long run.

recently someone asked me what i believed were some of the keys to surviving the teen years. my answer was that was that it's tough to say, but that listening to the wake-up calls was certainly up near the top of the list. i believe this is true because every one of us makes mistakes. there isn't a person alive todaywho hasn't. so the only remaining question becomes, "what are you going to do with those mistakes?" will you listen to what they are trying to teach you--or not? i hope you'll take this one to heart and tuck it away for future reference.

most of these pictures were taken at the softball tournament last weekend. and there is no better example of "learning from your mistakes" than on that field. errors are just part of the game. i can't count the number of times that i've told my girls, "that play is over. realize what caused the error. mark an X in the dirt. now, erase that X and get ready for the next play." isn't that so much like our lives? we can't take away the error or the consequences, but we can learn from it and be ready for what's next.

so i challange you...live, learn, and be ready!

No Cookie Mold Children

"Each child can be trained in the way he should go, but not every child can be trained to go in the same way. Each child can be trained to the highest and fullest exercise of his powers, but no child can be trained to the exercise of powers which are not his. Each child can be trained to his utmost possibilities, but not every child can be trained to the utmost possibilities of every other child. Child training has the fullest scope of the capacity of the particular child under treatment, and child training is limited in every case by the limitations of that child's capacity."

--H. Clay Trumbull

my oldest daughter sent me this email, and for me it has been so true. in raising three daughters, i have always found it interesting (and frustrating! at times) to see that there is no "cookie mold" for training children. from potty training, schooling, to guy issues, they are so unique and require a totally different set of ideas and wisdom, in training. yet it's always a blessing to see them grow in their own "one of a kind" and special selves.

i just pray that God will always give me wisdom to allow them to grow to be the most they can be.

Mid-Life Crisis? shhhh. girls only! hehe

Well, it's not a mid life crisis for me, but here's how things worked out for a friend of mine.

Married 25 years, took a look at his wife one day and said, "Honey, 25 years ago, we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10 inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 25 year old blonde. Now, we have a nice house, nice car, big bed and plasma screen TV, but I'm sleeping with a 50 year old woman. It seems to me that you are not holding up your side of things."

His wife is a very reasonable woman. She told him to go out and find a hot 25 year old blonde, and she would make sure that he would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, sleeping on a sofa bed....

hillside baseball and what we need more of....

these pictures are from our fun time at billy and stephanie's cookout. we had so much fun. the food was great, playing baseball on the side of a hill was fantastic fun, but the best part was the time that we got to spend with family and friends!

THE WORLD NEEDS PEOPLE WHO...


1. who cannot be bought



2. whose word is their bond



3. who put character above wealth



4. who possess opinions and a will



5. who are larger than their vocations



6. who do not hesitate to take chances



7. who will not lose their individuality in a crowd



8. who will be as honest in small things as in great things



9. who will make no compromise with wrong



10. whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires




11. who will not say they do it "because everybody else does it"



12. who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as prosperity



13. who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success



14. who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular



15. who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world is saying "yes"




thanks to all of you who are these kind of friends and examples!

My Daughters

How can it be that when
I bent to kiss you good night,
My daughter,
A beautiful young woman
Lay where only yesterday
A little girl had been?

When did the barrettes and
Ponytail ribbons,
Of birthday party days, give way to the
Styling comb and make-up mirror
Of Saturday night dates?
Was it not only yesterday,
Crayons of all colors laid upon the table
Where now bottles of nail polish rest?

How can it be the buggy you filled
With so many dolls
Has been pushed aside and new suitcases
Are filled instead
Did you ever know the finger you
Wrapped yourself around was tied right to my heart?

It seems as though the ink has just dried
On the pages of your baby book
And here we are laughing over pages
In your year book.
How did the ballet slippers of a little girl
Become the high heels of a young woman on her way?
Such a little while ago you cried,
"Mommy, I'm scared", and now you whisper,
"Mom, don't worry I'll be fine."
How can it be the smell of baby powder
Turned instead to the scent of perfume,
The giggles of a little girl
Became the tears of a teen,
And the roses tiny fingers picked
Were treasured like the petals of a prom bouquet?

Wasn't it only yesterday ruffles and tea parties
Colored my world pink
How did it happen so quickly and
When I stop to realize all my golden tomorrows
Will bask in the memories of pink yesterdays.
Thank you Lord for pink yesterdays.

alice c.

thanks for sharing your lives!

g'ness, i can't believe it's been so long since i've posted! i suppose the summer months are just more busy with all the outside activities going on. as a family, we enjoy being together and we also enjoy so much of the same things, so that when one of us says, "oh, i'd love to go watch the rome braves/chattanooga lookouts play today," "let's plan a two-week road trip", or something as simple as "let's go to wal-mart!", we're all ready to load up and go.



when the girls were younger, people would ask, " how do you stand to be at home with your kids all the time?" i never really figured out an answer for that question cos i was always so stunned. i mean it was just such a way of life for me, and we just enjoyed being together. plus we didn't stay "home" all the time. just becos we homeschooled, i guess some thought we were becoming hermits. actually we stayed on the go alot. and still do. all of you that homeschool know that every trip is a "field" trip and a learning experience. i remember just going to the grocery store could be a great adventure when i would tell the girls to imagine that they only had $20.00 to spend, and then ask them what they would buy. then to just watch their little minds go into action, adding up the numbers and thinking "do i really want/need that"?



come to think of it, i think all our trips are still "field" trips. even tho the older girls are 18 and (almost) 20, we're always learning something, it seems. many years ago a wise mom told me, " schooling is a lifelong event. you never stop learning. so use every day to grow." at the time, that took alot of pressure off of me becos when you're schooling your children and trying to pour EVERYTHING into their lives in just 12 years, it seems impossible. but when i realized that even after their 12 yrs of schooling, they would still continue to learn and grow, that was comforting to me. so whether we're at the karate studio, at a baseball game, or just sitting on the front porch, our journey continues. these days, every day is like Christmastime, for me!



to my girls, maegan, tarah and faith...thanks for making every day so special. and i really do just enjoy hanging out with you, it's always an adventure. thanks for sharing your lives with me.




these pictures were taken yesterday at the karate tournament. faith was 1st in fighting (those poor little boys just hate getting beat by a girl), 3rd in forms. Tarah was 1st in forms and 2nd in fighting. Maegan wasn't able to compete due to cracked ribs from a kick at practice, two weeks ago. ~tear~ but she was an awesome cheerleader for her sisters and friends. it was a fun day!

secrets to ageless living...tarah's turning 18

it seems almost impossible, but tarah's turning 18. she and maegan are 23 months apart. this is significant to me because when maegan was 10 months old i had a miscarriage. and at that time it was so hard for david and i to understand the whys, (and not than i can explain all of that), but i can say that when the doctors told us we were expecting again (when maegan was 16 months old) we were so excited, yet almost scared becos we didn't want to go thru what we had just experience. God was gracious and blessed us with tarah.

she was born in a birth center vs. a hospital. it was the closest thing to a home birth because i wanted no meds, no needles and no doctors. (yea, crazy i know) i had 8 hours of labor with maegan and they always promise that the next one will be shorter time...don't buy into those statistics becos um, babies like tarah take their own time and show up when they're ready. it was 21 hours of active labor. yes, active labor, not just the pittling stuff. and to this day, everyone in our family will tell you that tarah still takes her time and shows up only when she's good and ready. ~smile~

tarah, i just wanna say thanks for who you are. i am thankful to call you my daughter. thanks for being my hair stylist for all these years. i know i'm the most tough and most picky customer you will ever have...you're a real trooper for putting up with me. ~grin~ you are such a blessing to our family. always look to your perfect parent God your Father, for guidance, wisdom, health, peace and love.

i love you, sweet princess!




1. never let age get in the way of life.

2. enjoy and cherish healthy relationships with loved ones, friends, and family.

3. count your blessings.

4. today, and every day, deliver more than you are getting paid to do.

5. whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back too long.

6. build this day on a foundation of pleasant thoughts.

7. laugh at yourself and at life.

8. never neglect nor take for granted the little things.

9. cling to what is good.

10. do what is right, just because it's the right thing to do.

11. pray.

12. keep your word.

13. remember all the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.

14. avoid solutions that are worse than the problem.

15. let your actions speak louder than your words.

16. complain of nothing, not even the weather.

17. choose your battles...wisely

18. learn to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

19. remember your past mistakes only long enough to keep you from repeating them.

20. do more than exist...LIVE!

what is maturity?

1. facing the truth honestly.


2. looking beyond personal comfort and gratification, to the greater good.

3. dealing with change without falling apart.


4. working hard and completing a job, whether supervised or not.


5. keeping the stresses and worries of life from taking control.


6. doing the right thing regardless of what others say and do.


7. finding more joy in giving than receiving.


8. relating to others in a consistently positive and helpful manner.


9. being a person of your word.


10. demonstrating respect.


11. showing love in both word and deed.


12. learning to be content based upon internal attitudes rather than external circumstances.

Hooray for you, Andrew!

School seeks to get you ready for examination; Life gives the finals!


My nephew has graduated!


It's hard to believe you're really done! Seems like you should still be in middle school, playing baseball and helping with the 14 year old girls' league (remember that?!). But no, you're graduating!!! Thanks for who you are, Andrew. You're always ready to give advice, encourage, and help in any way you can.


Of course, I can't go without giving you some "advice" (it just goes along with being a great, responsible Aunt! lol

so here you go....

Be Yourself...Truthfully.


Accept Yourself...Gratefully.


Value Yourself...Joyfully.


Forgive Yourself...Completely.


Treat Yourself...Generously.


Balance Yourself...Harmoniously.


Bless Yourself...Abundantly.


Trust Yourself...Confidently.


Love Yourself...Wholeheartedly.


Empower Yourself...Prayerfully.


Give Yourself....Enthusiastically.


Express Yourself...Radiantly.



Andrew, thankfully you already implement these so well. Just want to remind you as you continue your journey! Love you!