The Greatest Generation

I admit it.  Memorial Day often gets lost on us.  It falls so close to the end of school in these parts that we still seem to be in “recovery mode” when it rolls around.

For some reason, this Memorial Day, I woke up thinking about my dad, a WWII veteran, one of that greatest generation the nation remembers today.

  He came through Ellis Island as a toddler, grew up in the fields and rivers of the South, went to war for his adopted homeland.

My dad loved politics and history, so he was attentive when Hitler started his move across Europe.  Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Daddy joined the Army rather than get drafted down the road.

He was due to get out December 7th of the next year.

You know what happened.

My dad had some great stories.

He became a US citizen while serving in the Army when his commanding officer realized he’d never taken the oath.

He taught Yankee soldiers to mix fried egg and bacon into Cream of Wheat since the mess didn’t serve grits.

Every morning for months, he typed a letter to his commanding officer requesting a transfer to bombardier unit.

Every afternoon, the request came back,

“Permission Denied”.

That man undoubtedly saved my father’s life,

hence saving mine, of course,

and, most importantly, protecting my very lost future father from an eternity in a very real Hell.

I love how God’s hand was on my dad long before he knew Him.

Though I fear that, as a nation, we are indeed forgetting those great men and  their sacrifices.  Today I hope we remember

and thank the Lord for them.

Be blessed,

Ginger

Summertime and the Living is…Intentional

Hi, y’all!

(Teaser shot of the still-in-progress back door redo.)

School is officially out for my girls, and I’ll be done early next week. (We are deep into Common Core planning and new curriculum maps, anyone who knows—or cares-- what that means.)

The DDs have enjoyed a week of very limited responsibility.  So far, I think they’ve folded a few clothes,  and picked lettuce out of the garden.

(And unloaded the dishwasher. A lot, adds DD#1.)

That’s about it.

Otherwise, they’ve been on the porch with their noses stuck in books.

Ahh…summertime, and livin’  is easy.

As it should be.

But this summer, I also want to be intentional.

This year, I want to know it’s been summer. 

Duh, says DD#1.

Maybe it’s the year I’ve had.

 

(Remember this?)

Last summer was The Summer of the Broken Foot.  I didn’t walk without a brace until Labor Day.

Then there was the sinus infection that lasted from September to Christmas.

Followed by The Sneeze that Changed Everything.

Let’s not forget DD#2 and her 9-day Hospital Stay that Ate February.

It would be fair to say that I never quite got my head in the game.

So, this summer, I want to be all in. 

All in projects.

All in prayer.

All in the book I read on the porch swing.

All in laughter.  And naps.  And firefly-watching.

All in trips to Paris, adds DD#1.

(Have you figured out who’s adding commentary over my shoulder while I type??)

All in enjoying my family.

All in opening my home to others.

Of course, we don’t get to map out the future; only God knows what this summer will really be like.

So, what I really want to be is all in the presence of the Holy Spirit,

walking through these days with His plan.

Are you all in?

Be blessed,

Ginger

 

 

A Little Tune for the Last Week of School

**Sung to the tune of the “Lambchop” theme song**

(image)

“This is the week that never ends;

it just goes on and on, my friends!

We all just started living it,

knowing what it was,

and now we’ll just keep living it

forever just because--

This is the week that never ends;

it just goes on and on my friends…”

(Be blessed while you’re hanging on!)

Ginger

What Moms Need

Yesterday I heard someone talk about what moms really need, and while he said some good things about respect and rest and appreciation, I felt I should add a few things of my own.

In Ephesians 4, Paul writes, “ Be kind and compassionate, forgiving one another as Christ forgave you.” 

As a mom, I need forgiveness.

You see, no mom has ever wanted or loved her children more than I have. 

I have been a mom who sang, played, baked, made crafts, and read a million books.

Those were good days.

Then there were the other days,

the days I was (am) a selfish mom, a yelling mom, an angry mom, a disappointed mom, an embarrassed (and embarrassing) mom.

One thing I need is forgiveness. 

I need to show my children grace, and I need the same from them, and my husband, and probably countless  other people who’ve encountered those sides of me.

I am an imperfect mom, but I am also a mom who

has stretched out on the floor beside my babies’ cribs and my teenagers’ beds and in my living room and cried out to the Living God of love and mercy to teach my girls to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

I’ve begged Him to fill in all the places I’m lacking, to be the Perfect Parent in their lives, to teach and protect them, and to lavish His grace on them.

Anything I’ve done right as a parent goes back to those moments.

So the other thing moms need is time in the Word,

time with the Lord,

moments of refreshment in His presence.

Moms need husbands that support that.

So while we need kindness and help with laundry and maybe a word of appreciation,

what we really need most is Jesus.

Be blessed,

Ginger

 

In Honor Of…

Today we had an all-girls’ lunch to honor my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day.

Since my own mom lives some distance away and isn’t able to travel, she couldn’t join us.

Yet, in a way, she was here.

My mama was a homemaker in the truest sense of the word, and she loved entertaining.

There were always flowers and china and some simple, special dish, like Shrimp Creole or a tender pork roast.

The shrimp recipe is lost, I think, and I’ve never been particularly accomplished at pork roast,

but today we had chicken salad, angel biscuits, some husband-grown lettuce with a homemade buttermilk dressing, and cheesecake in a jar (amazing).

There were wildflowers and polka-dots.

I am thankful for—among countless other things--a legacy of old-fashioned, gracious, Southern hospitality, taught by an old-fashioned, gracious, Southern lady.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Be blessed,

Ginger

Hello, Monday

Hello, next-to-last Monday of the school year!

Hello, forgotten alarm clock!  So glad Big Red set his, even if I did miss my morning exercise.

Hello, 10,000 steps across the computer lab today; I should look at the bright side and be thankful for you.

Hello, 10,000,000 obvious questions asked by students in said lab today.  (“Bibliography??? What bibliography???)

Hello, brownie batter + german chocolate cake mix combined!  You’re a match made in heaven!

Hello, yellow back door!  Your first coat makes me happy!

Hello, new porch pillows!  Hello, ferns!

Hello, homemade hummus! Yumm!

Hello, piles of laundry; I hear you calling my name.

I’m ignoring you!

Happy Monday,

Ginger

 

Hello, Again

I had every intention of linking up with Lisa Leonard’s “Hello, Monday” party, but yesterday disappeared in a blur.

About 9:00p.m, I wondered if I should still post.

What to title it?  “Goodbye, Monday”?

*sigh*

So today I  say hello/goodbye to Tuesday(early hello to Wednesday, perhaps?) with apologies to all those people who got their post done on time .

Hello dead camera battery, hence a picture-less late post.

Hello, sunny day, with other sunny day friends in the forecast!  That means the back steps get stained!

Hello, end-of-school-crazy-insane-calendar-starting-this-week.

Hello, deep breath-take-a-moment-of-silence before the chaos begins.

Hello, early watermelon.  You’re my fav.

Hello, extra pounds.  Must eat watermelon and not chocolate cake.

Hello, Creative Memories box full of finally-scrapbooked pages (now only a year behind! Yay-rah.)

Hello, baby lettuces in the garden!

Goodbye, Tuesday!  You were a good,  normal sort of day, and I am thankful for you.

Be blessed on your Tuesday/Wednesday,

Ginger