Hang in there my friends

This post might seem a bit cryptic. It's a shout out... a show of support ... a loving nod to many people I know and love who are struggling with ... well, let's just say they're struggling.

To J & J, You are amazing people who have dealt with a lot of adversity. I'm sorry your parents are hurting and mostly sorry that they're hurting you.

To D & S, your mom has some tough decisions to make soon. I hope you will both help her as she has tried to help you.

To T, you are being framed and we will figure something out. Regardless of the outcome, I am glad you are my friend.

To K, I want you to be healthy and well. I want to see you smile. Truthfully, I want to see you move on. (Sorry.)
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Mostly, I am just amazed at the power of friendship and the power of prayer. Hang in there, my friends. Some struggles are more visible than others.

Prayers

If you believe a certain religious sect, the Apocalypse begins tonight and those of us who consider ourselves believers will not be here tomorrow.

So, what am I doing to prepare myself for this great event? I am doing laundry, running errands and most importantly, writing prayers. I am liturgist tomorrow. I suspect my congregation of great friends and wonderful Christians will be in their normal seats in the pews.

The hardest part of being liturgist is writing the prayers. I know what I pray for and for whom. But you try to strike a balance between the generic and personal. You, at least I, try to say something that touches the soul... that makes someone think, "Yes, I pray for that too."

Whenever I remind myself that I am not worthy and I share this thought with my minister, he replies, "No, you are not. Do it anyway." What a gift!

The next time you are in a house of worship and someone says, "Let us Pray," remember that someone put some time and effort into crafting a community prayer. And, the greatest gift may be the ability to worship together.

Easter Prayers

I pray a lot. I think everyone does. Even people who have no faith seem to call upon a higher being in certain times. I, boastfully, like knowing who I am talking to. (Sin #1 right there -- being boastfful.)

I have never made the connection with the Easter Bunny, the egg hunt, etc. That doesn't mean I haven't participated. I just don't get it. Of course, we did the Santa thing with young children while also recognizing the meaning of the season.

It's frustrating when God answers your prayers and the answer is no. I prayed like crazy for a couple of friends with cancer and yet, God decided to bring them home. Sometimes you've go to accept that God's plan differs from your plan.

But Easter represents new life and new beginnings. So with that in mind, I give you some Easter prayers:

Peace in households, peace in neighborhoods, peace in countries
Harmless animals who find welcoming homes
Children in need who receive help
Jobless people who find jobs
Badly dressed people who get a clue

Ok, I threw that last one in there to make you smile. Happy Easter to all.

Grab a Shovel

Growing up, I was used to my parents saying "no." Now I live with them again and we play the fun game of saying "no" to each other. I try to be the Food Nazi; occasionally I get to be the teenager (at 46!) in this home. I recently spent the night with a girlfriend -- dog in tow, not a danger in sight -- but my dad told me the next day that we need to revisit the curfew discussion. We will decide if I am allowed to have overnight camps when I am 50.

There are times when God says "no." Frankly, we all should know that but we continue to bargain in prayer.

Please, God, make it right.

And of course, we mean right to us, at that moment, not necessarily right for our lives or His plan.

Most of us wait for some big, huge, life-altering sign from prayer. The odds are pretty good that we won't be the chosen one who gets the burning bush or the parting of the sea. In the quiet moments, we might get the realization that we're praying really hard for something and the answer is no.

One of my dad's favorite sayings is, "If you pray for a garden, you'd better grab a shovel."

There's also the folklore tale of the olden country village, stricken with drought and holding a revival for a rain dance. (Every oldie in the world has told this story. Movies have been made about it.) The rain comes at the end.

Nobody brought an umbrella.

It's A Wonderful Life

As I write this on my birthday, I must admit to a few thoughts of "what if..."

So. let's play George Bailey. What if I'd never been born?

I did not (and will not) discover a cure for any disease. I did not invent anything that will improve mankind. I did not spread the gene pool. I did not do a lot of things that I hope I may have the ability and the time to do.

Tonight I will say my prayers and I will start them with the same prayer I have said and amended since I was a little girl.

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

I go off on my own from there so I won't bore you with that. But, most of my follow-up is about the gifts of my life and the abundance I have. Oh sure, I throw a few things in that are extremely and vitally selfish -- I'm human!

As another year has been acknowledged in my fleeting life, I mostly marvel at the gift of time. I hope I have more.

Even if I don't, I can put my head on the pillow, say my prayers and know that I have a wonderful life.

Happy birthday to me.

The Color Guard

This is not me or my mother. But, it works. It's a pretty good image of the expression we've both mastered.

I am drawn to colorful people. You know, the kind of people who start a story with:

"Remember that time we were so drunk and then we ..."
"How did it feel when we stuffed you guys in the trunk so we could pay less at the XXX drive-in and then we ..."

I used to wish (Oh please God, just once!) that I could tell her about an adventure gone awry or a risk that didn't pan out. And, she would say, "Oh Honey, everyone has done that. I did that." These wishes came often throughout my teenage years.

Like:
When the high school principal called to report that I was not in school and he suspected I was at the track.

When I rode to Purdue with total strangers to visit my boyfriend. I had my roommate lie for me the entire weekend. His roommate's parents lived across the street from my parents so the secret didn't stay secret for long.

When I was forbidden to get on a motorcycle -- EVER -- and I got on one with a boy. Turned the corner and pulled up next to my mother at a stoplight.

What I didn't get caught doing, I've long since told her the gory details. I don't think I shock her much anymore. Although running my life off into this latest ditch has spiced things up a bit.

She told me the other day that she has no desire to do any irresponsible or reckless things. But she's considering making up a wild-oat-sowing past to make herself sound more interesting.

Trust me on this: No one would buy it.

She is wise and responsible and wonderful. She has a wicked sense of humor and a heart of gold. How she wound up with me is a puzzle that confounds us both.

She did and I'm eternally grateful.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to all moms.

"An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest."
Spanish proverb