Tornadoes and Terrorists

With the tornadoes in our region last week and the death of an evil terrorist my mind has been in a quandary over how to deal with the chaos.  We escaped damage although our neighbors and friends have to replace roofs and windows.  It was a scary night but the kids enjoyed our family camp-out under the stairs.  Tragically our college hometown suffered devastating loss.  The pictures don't begin to reveal the horror experienced by so many in Tuscaloosa as well as to other towns throughout the Deep South.  The disaster level has been assigned the same level as that of Hurricane Katrina.  http://cw.ua.edu/2011/05/01/alabama-tornadoes-receive-same-disaster-ranking-as-katrina-911/  

It was eerie to see bald pieces of land where some of our old stomping grounds once stood.  We've heard so many stories of extreme loss but also of extreme faith unfold.  My in-laws are still without power after almost a week but instead of complaining they are embracing the board games and "pioneering" lifestyle, they come from good stock, a blessing to call them family.

Furthermore,  we have had several people ask how they can help the tornado victims, this is the best way we know of: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/04/29/how-to-pray-and-give-for-disaster-relief-in-the-south/ 

As far as Bin Laden's death I admit to initial elation at the news.  Go get 'em Navy Seals!  But that soon turned into a feeling of shame for all the rejoicing.  My husband shared my feeling of "sickness over the whole situation" and led me to a blog post that summed it up pretty well for me:

Some Thoughts on the Death of Bin-Laden

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." 

--Martin Luther King, Jr

Blessings,

Amos Lee

If you haven't heard him you must go now and do so.  His music is a blend of jazz, folk, country.  It is a pure, warm, delight.  I'd discovered his crooning only recently and was thrilled when Jeff surprised me on my birthday with tickets to see him.  The concert exceeded our expectations.  This man has serious talent.  He has played along side a uniquely diverse group including Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, John Prine, James Taylor, Merle Haggard, Dave Matthews... 

Here are a few of my favorites:

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."  ~Berthold Auerbach

Easter Delight

He has Risen!  He has risen indeed!  Amen!  Hoping y'all all had a fabulous Easter celebration!  We enjoyed a beautiful weekend, our 3rd Annual church Egg Hunt, late night baseball in the fields, and a beautiful Easter church celebration.  The joy of Easter filled our hearts, the reminder all around of us of how He died so that we may live.  Now we attempt to go forth and live fully in deepest gratitude for His love and grace.

Our children's minister is amazing!

Blessings,

Blogger luncheon

What a joy it is to meet others who share your interests, in this case, my interest in blogging.  I am blessed with an amazing group of women, a group of local bloggers, and soon to be bloggers 
(oh yes. you.can.so.do.this) 
who are compassionate, intelligent, and just darn fun to be around. This past week we gathered at my abode to discuss blogging, motherhood, decorating, cooking, you name it.  I am encouraged and inspired by these ladies and urge you if you are in the area and want to connect with other bloggers to let one of us know, we'd love to share hot java with you :)

 Blessings,

I'm not Enough, but God is

When I began blogging my sole purpose was to share our families' journey of adoption.  Along the way I have been changed and inspired by others through this whole blog world experience.  There are some amazing people doing some incredible things with the gifts that God has blessed them with. I am humbled by their willingness to authentically share their joys and struggles, not just families adopting but women in all stages of their lives.  

It's not easy to "put yourself out there" and open yourself up to criticism and judgement.   Furthermore, one of my favorite quotes from Blissdom in regards to your perceived critics is "I have a very short list of whose opinions matter to me and you are not on it".  For the most part I have played it relatively safe on my blog, not putting too much out there.  But now I am reflecting on how to make myself more vulnerable.  

One of the keynote speakers at Blissdom defined the key to vulnerability as "living with our whole hearts, vulnerability is sharing something of yourself amidst fear and uncertainty, when you choose to practice vulnerability, you choose to feel a full spectrum of emotions, willingness to let self be seen. It's the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, accountability, innovation, creativity, adaptability. Joy is the most vulnerable emotion we feel."   I don't believe you have to be a blogger to practice vulnerability, most of my friends who read this are not bloggers.  The challenge is for us all to live with vulnerability so we can experience the joy God wants for us, joy that can only be found through Him.  When I first saw the quote "I am enough" at the Blissdom conference I thought, yeah, that's right, I am enough, I don't need to compare myself to others, to be afraid of voicing my opinions, to  lose 20 lbs to be worthy of seeking and experiencing joy.  But then the small voice began whispering, "I'm not enough"  What??  But the speaker said I am and by golly I like thinking that, feeling that comfort of knowing I can be enough for my own needs.  Then I realized, I am not enough, I need God, His transforming grace and love.  Too much self-reliance and self-reflection can often times lead to prideful dependence on our own needs and cut God out of the equation.  So my new mantra is "I am not enough, but my Heavenly Father is".

There is a book I think you should go order right away, from amazon,

 

And then join me and others in an online book club discussion of this delightful book, 

won't you join me?

Blissdom 2011

Before I left for Blissdom family and friends asked what the heck it was, so here's a brief description:

 "Blissdom is a conference for pioneers. Women who are out front, taking risks,and leading the way through uncharted territory. It's an uncertain adventure that can be both exhilarating and terrifying. In this talk we'll explore some of our shared experiences including balancing creativity with business, navigating the scarcity that social media can stir up in all of us, and making that long walk from "What will people think?" to "I am enough."

It was a delightful experience with fabulous giveaways.  Aside from the wonderful car ride back and forth with the spectacular Kate, the best part was spending time with some amazing women.  Some I knew from home but got to see in a new light, Patty has such an eye for photography and her inclusive, encouraging personality made me feel so at ease when I was so out of my element, http://www.findingserendipity.com/,and it was thanks to Edie's encouragement that I attended this conference http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/,

 some have blogs that I have followed for some time http://www.these-are-the-days.com/, she is genuine, she illuminated joy, http://flowerpatchfarmgirl.blogspot.com/  she is one of my blog heroes, an inspiring, real deal, adoptive mama who is absolutely radical! (her daughter is named Ruby! Jeff had to endure hours of story telling upon my return regarding this gem of a gal),

 

some were newly found treasures, http://www.livingwellspendingless.com.

   All were a blessing that I will cherish.

There were definitely times during the trip where I felt like "country bumpkin come to town".  One of those moments was when someone asked me what my "handle" was?  Ok so I had heard of Twitter, I mean I'm not that out of it, but where I was supposed to put my "handle" or twitter namey thing I had put "Farmin' Mama" then I called it "Flickr" instead of "Twitter" to which one of the less blissful women there turned and said to someone else, "who is she, is she even a blogger?", ha ha guess not .  No big deal, I have no plans of tweeting anytime soon unless I am singing to the farm birds.  Another new discovery was Mat Kearney,

 Y'all I felt like a teen in the 60's watching the Beatles, 2 girls even rushed the stage at one point declaring their luvvv.

I am so grateful to my dear husband for holding down the fort and for the communitiy of friends it took to handle the snow dismissals and crazy viruses that erupted while I was away.

It was delightful.

Blissful.

Blessings,

Blissdom 2011

I am so excited I'm about to bust!  Thanks to Edie's encouragement I am going to Blissdom this year.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading her "Do's and Don'ts of Surviving Blissdom".  If you are going, go check out her fabulous post.  And let me know, I'd love to meet you!

Blessings,