VBS

Well, what a week it has been!! We just finished Vacation Bible school at our church. I helped out with the 2nd graders and had a lot of fun. Those kids don't pull any punches. We asked the kids what it meant to be a Christian and one girl said something that stuck with me. She said that she was lying to her friends and then she realized that that behavior was wrong and thanks to Jesus, she began "unlying." That was her word and I thought wow! Profound word for a word that really is not a word. You follow? I thought have I unlied to the people that I have lied to over the years? I don't know that I have. I have begun to pray that God will reveal to me when I need to unlie. From the mouths of babes!
We also learned the fruits of the Spirit. I think that these qualities are great regardless if you are a Christian. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If people in the world would just follow these tenets, how much better a world in which we would live. Christian and non-Christian alike! I know that I have a hard time with some of those and am working on becoming a better person. So, I guess that VBS isn't just for kids.
On other news, I have started back to work. I will be waiting tables again at Mezzaluna in downtown Hendersonville. I hope that we are going to open next week. We kind of need the money. I know that everyone knows what that is like. I, however, have been out of work since last Halloween and we have lots of stuff piled up. So, if you like good Italian food(all made locally) at reasonable prices, come and eat. I'll post when we open. Hope to see you there and don't forget to tip your waitress! :)

Miscellaneous

Hi,all! I hope that you are all well. We have gotten back from the beach and the kids had a blast with their grandparents, cousins, and Hope(my mother's helper). When we got back from Holden Beach, we had AJay's 4 month checkup and he weighs a whopping 14 lbs 10 oz! Not bad for a preemie. Actually, he is right on for his actual age not adjusted. He has gained 10 lbs 4 oz since birth and 7 inches. We can't believe it. Someone said that I must produce cream and not milk. Whatever it is, he likes it! We have a busy June and hopefully during the dog days of summer, we'll slow down a little. There is a ladies' tea at church tomorrow and VBS next week ( I am helping with the 2nd graders). I am only telling the story so I shouldn't screw them up too badly.
I went to see a movie when I got home, just to have a break from the kids. I wish that I hadn't. It was a movie called "The Happening". I am a big M. Night Shamalan fan(Sixth Sense, The Village, Signs). However, I am not a big fan of this new movie. It was billed to be his scariest. Not so much! It was the worst movie that I have ever seen and I have seen "Kickin it Old School!" I sat there for 45 minutes with anticipation for the infamous M. Night twist but it never came. The twist was that(WARNING:SPOILER ALERT!!!!!) humans are so bad that the trees begin to fight back and kill us off beginning where? America, of course! How ludicrous! Basically, the moral of the story is that we are overpopulating the earth and must be destroyed! Same tired line, different method of delivery. As a mother of 4 living kids, I resent the fact that we are supposed to stop breeding. Look at Europe, their birth rate is down to less than 2%. Any civilization that has gotten that low has never recovered. Part of the fall of Rome was the fact that the had more conquered peoples and slaves that were breeding than they did actual Roman citizens. The only population that is growing by leaps and bounds in Europe is the Muslim community. They will soon be the majority in France and it will become a Muslim state within 100 years if the Lord tarries that long. Anyway, I digress. All that to say that this is an awful movie. At the end, the entire theater groaned in unison. Sad! Wish I would have gone to see Indy instead. At least, I wouldn't have had to endure a message movie. Entertainment is what I paid for and what I expected. I was not entertained.
On a more serious note, there was a state trooper killed here in WNC. The story has just touched my heart to no end. The news normally makes me sad but this was different. He was a 24 year old mountain boy who pulled a man over in an unregistered vehicle. The man proceeded to shoot him multiple times and the officer was taken to Mission hospital. What makes this story extra tragic is that while he was downstairs fighting for his life, his wife was upstairs in the NICU while their little baby was fighting for his. They are in the same NICU that we have been in. I know that that baby is in great hands because I feel that God has placed each nurse in there for a purpose. My heart breaks for this wife and mama who is struggling under the weight of grief so strong that she may not be able to breathe. So, if you pray please pray for the Blanton family. The officer died at Mission and the baby is still struggling. If you want to donate to the family, head over to wlos.com for more info. T & M Blanton, you are in our hearts and prayers and may God hold you up during this storm.

My 6 Fathers

I know that you are intrigued by my title so let me explain. I have had 6 fathers in one sense or the other. No matter the way they treated me, they each taught me something. Or I learned something from each of them.
Let's start with #1. He would be termed my birth father. He contributed the genes that make up half of me. I don't know much about him or his family. I do know that he had curly, blond hair and blue eyes and a twin sister. His family is or was a well to do family in the town in which I was born. He gave me life despite the fact that he was a teenager and I was the product of teenage passion. I am grateful for that. I learned from him that teenage love is, for the most part, fleeting. I wish that I had learned that when I was a teenager. I, also, learned that when things get tough you run away. I lived under that wisdom for a long time. No more!
#2 was my step-father. He was married to my birth mother for a short time. In the brief time that I lived with them, I watched him beat her and shoot her and felt the sting of beating on my backside. He took advantage of me as a baby in a way that ruins a person. He was a mean drunk and a not so nice sober man. You ask what could I possibly learn from him? The first lesson I learned was inappropriate love. I also learned fear from a man. I, also, learned to protect others. I had a little step-sister. I would take her from him and tell him to not do that to her but to me instead. It was as if I knew that I was already damaged and I didn't want him to damage her. Our time ended together the night he aimed a shotgun at me and fired. Obviously, he missed. Just like Jimmy Carter led us to Ronald Reagan. He was followed by my adoptive father.
#3 is my adoptive father, Steve. He is also my grandfather. Baffle you? I was adopted by my grandparents. Dad was a great provider. There were 8 kids that he had to raise. 4 of his and 2 of my moms and 2 adoptees. I call us the Brady Bunch on acid. We never went without the things that we needed. We may not have had everything that we wanted but we never went naked or starved. I know that some of you will find this hard to believe but I wasn't always the easiest child to raise. I had "issues". He handled them the best way that he knew how. He taught me the value of hard work and a dollar and paying your bills on time. He taught me that sometimes people make mistakes but family always helps family if they can. I watch him with my kids and envy the easy relationship that they have but ours is getting better and I can say that I love him with my whole heart. He sacrificed more for my siblings and me than I could ever say. He did it quietly and without any expectations of repayment. I am glad that God chose you to be my dad!
#4 is my spiritual father. Those of you who aren't Christians may not understand this one but Michael led me to a real, saving relationship with Christ. Michael is also my husband and the father to my beautiful children. He is a great daddy and does what most men won't. While I was in the hospital, he worked full-time and was mommy and daddy to the kids. It was hard on him. Leading me to Christ makes him my spiritual father. He teaches me humility and to see the good in life and not drown in my sorrows. He is always positive and even keeled. But best of all, he loved me so much that he wanted to spend eternity with me. Not even roses and chocolate can beat that kind of romance.
#5 is related to #4. It is my father-in-law. I love that man. I love the boy that he raised who became the man that is my husband. Mike and I have a great relationship and I can talk to him about so many things. I learned from him that in-laws aren't horrible people like you hear in books and from comedians. I, also, learned from him that fresh flounder and shrimp straight from his boat can't be beat. He is a great fisherman! He has taught me that generosity is a precious thing and he often works his fingers to the bone in my home. He is a great grandfather and my kids adore him. I look forward to raising you in your old age!
#6 is my Heavenly Father. I can't possibly write everything that He has taught me. The internet could not contain it. I will write the highlights. Forgiveness, gentleness, patience(even though He didn't give me an abundance), real, true love, the value of life, grace, mercy, salvation. My relationships are all centered on Him. I am grateful that I can come to Him at anytime and He wraps His arms around me and loves on me. He taught me that no matter how far I stray I am never to far from Him. All I need is a trip down onto my knees to be near Him. I can't wait to spend eternity in Heaven praising His holy name. God is the most important father that I have. He sustained my family during our time of crisis and we wanted for nothing. He performed miracles in my life and the lives of my children and in many of your lives. God, forgive me for not even scratching the surface of what You have done and who You are.
So that is the tale of my 6 fathers. They each shaped who I am today and some of them continue to shape my life until the day of my death and beyond. I wish each of you Happy Father's Day. Call your dad and let him know how much you appreciate what he has done for you or has taught you. You can learn something from even the worst dad or the nonexistent one. Most importantly, thank God for His saving grace and for saving you. May God bless each of you!

The Swimsuit Issue

Have you gone swimsuit shopping lately? What a nightmare! I took my 5 YO who is tall for her age and she needed to go into the little girls' section. No more cute toddler suits for her. Nooooo, she had to go into what I call prostitot wear. That is not a word that I made up but I stole from Glenn Beck. I stood there and cried because they actually had bikinis that had strings on the hips and triangles on the chest. For a 5-10 YO? What!!!! I don't even want my 20 YO dressing like that. Finding a modest suit was all but impossible but I managed after shedding a few tears.
Shopping for myself is another story. First off, do you remember shopping in your teen and 20 years? Your body looked so different back then. Even though I hated my body then, I would sacrifice a lot to have it back. Maybe I'd sacrifice Ben & Jerry, I don't know. Something happens when you have a baby. Your belly button never goes back to its original position. Mine is higher so that even mom jeans are low cut. That lower ab muscle is perpetually bulging. And that is after 1 child, I have had 4! And I haven't even begun to discuss stretch marks! I haven't had enough coffee for that! So as I start looking at the modern day torture contraptions, I think, " I can go into the water with a T-shirt and capris on, right?" Who invented bathing suits? The same person who invented panty hose? Those are awful items of clothing as well. He must have hated his mom. As I survey the florals and stripes, the skirts and one pieces, I begin to wish for bathing suits of the early 20th century.(see pic) Trying them on is another pain that I don't relish. Stacy and Clinton haven't prepared me for the sight that I see in the mirror. Have you ever seen sausage links where the casings are narrow between the links? That is what I feel I look like. Trying to squeeze too much sausage into too little a casing. Finally, I find one that won't be an embarrassment to myself and my husband and is modest without being prudish(not an easy feat in the age of Victoria's Not so Secret). I head off to check out with a determination not to be intimidated by the smirks of my teenage check out girl or guy and with a new resolve to diet and exercise. I get home a realize that even though I had a horrible experience, each stretch mark, C-section scar, and bigger bulge on the abdomen was brought about by the birth of my precious babies. They are battle scars and while I may lose the battle the war has already been won. When I get to Heaven, there will be no more cellulite, fat, or misplaced belly buttons. I would like to think that our new bodies look great in a bathing suit. Psalm 45:11 says, "The king in enthralled with your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

The Legend of the Lone 'Tater

One of the questions I have gotten is "Where did you get the name the lone 'tater?" Well, most of you know, I just spent tons of time in our beautiful Mission hospital (81 days but who's counting?). If you have ever spent time in the hospital, you know that the food is not the best. However, for special patients, they will give you a special menu. And by special, I mean, those who dwell well. Since I qualified due to my length of stay, I would often order from the special menu. There were times that the kitchen would screw up my order but on the whole, they usually got it right. One day, I got a tray delivered to my bed side. At the time it came, I had a visitor so I didn't open the lid immediately. About 20 minutes later, I opened it and what did I see? A lone 'tater sitting there on the plate. Until this time, I didn't notice that I had no silver ware or the little packet of spices that come with the utensils nor were there any drinks but there was a little cup of orange sherbet. Upon inspection, I observed that the potato(for you non-Southerners) was not cut open. It was at least cooked. I began to laugh. You see, I had ordered homemade chicken salad on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes with saltines and a "loaded" baked potato. Now, I don't know about you but where I am from "loaded" means butter, cheese, sour cream, & bacon. I have never been anywhere that loaded meant orange sherbet. I laughed until my sides hurt. I called my CNA in there and she graciously went down to the kitchen to remedy the situation. She apparently hailed from the same place that I did. Well, the night staff came on and my precious nurse came in and laughingly said, "I heard about the legend of the Lone 'Tater." I proceeded to collapse into laughter again. By this time, I had been there for nigh 60 days so you either had to laugh or go crazy. I chose laughter. The Lone 'Tater became the running joke for the rest of my stay. I told my husband that night that if I ever wrote a book I was going to name it The Lone 'Tater: Finding God & Humor in Crisis Situations. When I wanted to start writing some things, he suggested that as the title of my blog. We have even bought the rights to it's domain. I was chatting (by computer, mind you) with some other women who had hysterectomies when I did and told them the name of the book. We live all over the world on this website but went through the same thing at the same time (I have listed this in my favorite websites). One woman asked, "so what's a 'tater?" I tried to explain to her that we Southerners are lazy and cut corners where we can when it comes to speech and grammar and the "po" in potato is just too much for us so we leave it off. Anyway, hope you all have a "lone 'tater" kind of day, full of humor and laughter. Doesn't that burn calories?