Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Las Friday my brother and I met up at O'Hare to fly south to visit our Mom and Al. As it turned out, the weather in other parts of the country, including where we were headed, were getting hit with snow and ice. But all seemed to be going well for us. We managed to find each other easily enough, no troubles at security, found our gate at the furthest end of the corridor and sat down to rest. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:20 p.m., but about 7:15 for some reason I decided to check the departure screens and noticed that our gate had changed from what it was on the departure screen when we got through security 45 minutes prior. So we walked down the corridor to get in line for the shuttle, since we had to go to an entirely different area of the airport. When the shuttle arrived, we went down the stairs, outside and onto the shuttle bus, which then took us over to "F12A". We disembarked from the bus, got outside, back up the stairs, and down the corridor to sit at our gate and wait. As it turned out, our plane was announced 25 minutes late. No biggee.

About 9:00, an announcement was made that the plane had arrived but boarding would be delayed further since the plane was experiencing some technical difficulties. Hey, take yer time I say. About 15 minutes later they came on the intercom and said there was good news and bad news. The bad news was that our plane was out of commission; the good news was that another plane was available to take us instead. It was back over in the other part of the airport where we'd just come from. I literally LOL. So we went back down the corridor, got in line for the shuttle, went down the stairs and outside. By this time the wind was blowing, the snow was flurrying, but we got on the bus which took us back over to terminal C. Got out of the bus, back outside, up the stairs, and back down the corridor to our gate. Did I mention that I had a carryon bag packed? Yes, it had wheels, but that didn't do me any good going up or down the stairs or getting on or off the shuttle bus.

Once we arrived at our new gate (which was directly across from the first gate), we were met with........no one. No plane, no crew, no check-in person. Thankfully, someone from United came by but since there was no crew and no plane, well, check in couldn't really begin. Tom and I sat down. He said he wanted to file a complaint with his travel agent (me). At least we were keeping our sense of humor, as others were not. Finally plane and crew arrived, and we boarded the plan around 10:00 p.m. With a sigh of relief, we found our seats, and sat down. Since the plane was too small for carry on, I had to check my bag at the gate. No problem though since once we arrived, they'd put all the "at the gate" bags at the arrival gate so we wouldn't have to wait in the baggage claim area.

The pilot came on around 10:15 to state that there were further delays because they really needed to de-ice the plane. So we waited further for the de-icing crew to come and de-ice the plane. At 10:30 we finally thought we were going to be under way but the pilot just got on to say that the de-icing crew missed a few spots, so we had to wait for them to come back and do it again. Are you freakin' kidding me? I was losing my sense of humor by this point.

At long last we lifted off at 10:45 p.m. and arrived in Springfield, MO about 12:15 a.m......about 2 hours late. This wasn't a big airport and we were absolutely the only passengers in the place. So it was truly a wonder to me why we had to pull into the furthest gate in the terminal. Was there something wrong with the vacant gate 1?? I was fully anticipating to receive my luggage at the gate, but they decided to bring all the luggage to the claim area, so I basically lugged that thing all around the airport for no reason at all now that I had to wait in baggage claim like everyone else.

When we got to the baggage claim/rental car area, I went over to the Enterprise window to get our car. Unfortunately they closed 15 minutes before we landed. So I went over to the open window of Alamo and got a little crappy car for highway robbery. Had my brain been engaged, it would've been cheaper to call a cab. For a one day rental at Alamo, it cost as much as a three day rental at Enterprise. But Enterprise was closed, so their fabulous prices were doing me no good at that moment. We waited for our luggage and then shlepped out to the car rental lot.

Did I mention that Springfield was getting hit with a snow storm? Southern states just aren't prepared to deal with 8"+ of snow. They aren't.....no salt, no plows......but lotsa snow. There was no way we were going to be able to manage the hills of this area to drive 80 miles south to where our Mom and Al lived, so we opted to find a hotel (being the prepared person that I am, I did anticipate this need and found a hotel online that was 5 miles from the airport. Even got directions off their website to the hotel.) So anyway, we go out to the rental car parking lot to row 9 and space 216. It was about 15 degrees out (without the windchill), and loads of swirling snow hitting us in our faces. There were 10 rows in the rental car lot, we trudged out to row 9. Did I mention that the rental car lot wasn't plowed.....at all?? And to think I left my snow boots at home. So in my Borns and Tom in his sneakers, we went to......the absolute last parking space of row 9, me carrying my, by now very heavy, rolling suitcase. I do have to agree with my brother when he said, "For $60, they should've $@&*!* heated the car up and brought it around for us." So true.

So it's dark, windy, snowy, and unplowed where we're at in our little Nissan box on wheels with a brake that thumped or sounded like it was dragging on the road whenever I used it. We had a bit of trouble finding the exit to the airport, but managed to get out onto the main road. The directions said to go to the roundabout and take XYZ road. Except there was no XYZ road. We gave it our best shot to find this place.....in the dark, on unplowed roads. And I do mean unplowed highway roads in a place that had received 8"+ of snow. By 1:45 we couldn't find this hotel, and gave up. We had seen a little place back up the road and stopped off there. We asked if they had a room, which he said he did (through a sliding window while we stood outside at 2 a.m. in the morning in the 15 degree weather with snow swirling around us.) Unfortunately he didn't have a room with two beds but did have a room with a king size bed. At this point, we really didn't care, so we took it.

We got to our room and it didn't have any heat turned on and was about as cold inside as it was outside. Tom got the heat cranking while I laid down on the bed still in my coat. Abougt 10 minutes later it started to crank out some heat. Fully clothed, we crawled under the covers to try and get some rest. Tom woke me up at 8 a.m. because he needed coffee; besides we need to try and get to Arkansas. One look in the bathroom told us we weren't showering here, so after brushing my teeth we split and headed back to the airport to turn in this lousy car (they wanted $130 for the whole weekend. Gimmee a break!) We turned in the car, then went down to the Enterprise counter, which was open. Yay. I explained what had happened last night and the woman upgraded us for free AND went out to the rental car lot to get the car for us, brush it off and warm it up. Sweet. I think it was a Pontiac G4 (?). Much nicer ride anyway, and off we went. Truly amazing though that the roads leading into the airport still hadn't been plowed by 8:30 a.m.

We hit the highway and arrived at Mom and Al's about 11 a.m. The MO highways were reasonably plowed, but when we saw the "Welcome to Arkansas" sign, the roads instantaneously became awful and our travel was slowed to about 30 mph. I found myself behind one plow and really it seemed like he was just making the road worse, so I passed him. Sure enough, once I got in front of the plow the road was considerably smoother traveling. Back at Mom's they were snowed in; neither could drive, and both were sick and couldn't have shoveled the drive to get out of the garage, so Tom and I shoveled so I could take Mom to Walmart for some items Al needed, including a new prescription.

When I booked the flight about a week before we left, I really sensed God wanting us to go that weekend. While we were at the airport and dealing with the delays, snow, and lousy hotel, I found myself questioning the whole thing - Did I misunderstand? And if I didn't, why all these hassles to arrive at our destination? I didn't have my answer immediately, but after our short weekend there, I'm certain that I understood correctly; we were meant to be on that flight and to travel that weekend. They needed us there that weekend, especially on early Monday morning when Mom woke us up to take Al to the emergency room. After several hours at the ER and many tests later, they determined that he had a puliminary embulism (sp?). Forutnately he was admitted to the hospital and will be treated for what he's been suffering from for the past week. My step brother is flying in today to take our place, so we felt OK leaving on our scheduled flight. The trip back up to the airport was uneventful and all 7 of us got on the plane with no problems. As a matter of fact, we left 10 minutes early.

Radio Waves

How often have you listened to the radio and the perfect song comes on? I'm not talking about a song you love just 'cause it's got a good beat and you like to sing along. I'm thinking about a song that speaks to what you're living at that particular moment, one that gets to the heart of the matter.

Today while balancing the checkbook the kids were building forts for shelter animals (aka our poor beleaguered cat, Milo), and the radio is going. While balancing the checkbook, my mind was a bit troubled over something in my life that's not working, something that I want to change but am really afraid to make the change.

And then that perfect song came on and spoke to me, as if the words were coming straight from the Throne of Heaven.

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's OK
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness

Word of God speak

~ Word of God Speak by MercyMe

LIVE, From Green Bay, WI

Last weekend I went with the women in our small group and a couple others to Green Bay to see Beth Moore. This weekend was also a live simulcast at over 500 churches worldwide, and something like 90,000 mostly women were listening this weekend. But she was IN Green Bay, which is where we were!

What an incredible weekend! The worship music was amazing, and Beth Moore's message, per usual, was relevant and spoke to my heart. Here's a short slide show of the weekend in Green Bay (you'll have to silence my radio off to your right first.)

Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.

~ Psalm 37:4

Living Proof Live - Simulcast - Green Bay WI from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

The Big Decision

I think we've all heard the saying, "God laughs at our plans"?? Well He's having a good 'ole knee slapper right about now, I think. I used to say that I would home school if I had to; what I really meant was that I'd home school if we found ourselves living in the wilds of Alaska 400 miles away from the nearest public school. I really resisted the idea of home schooling for a long time, but God has been persistent in urging me to look into it. After months of researching, reading many books, praying, and talking with home schooling families, we've decided to home school our kids!

The past month or so I've hunted for home schooling curriculum and checked into a co-op, plus attended a 3-day home schooling conference. There are not only thousands of curriculum choices, but it can be fairly expensive depending on what you go with and how much work you're willing to do on your own. This is a slight concern since Mike's employment has been sporadic since his lay-off last October (another reason home schooling seems like a crazy thing to do. This decision is a huge step of faith!)

All that research led me to a particular curriculum that appeared to meet my criteria, while also taking into consideration my kids' learning styles and my teaching style. To remain true to myself , I had to be completely thorough in my researching, so I also joined a "Yahoo Group" of families who use this curriculum so that I could learn as much as possible from women who were already using it. I began to sense conviction, as well as peace, about this choice of curriculum, even after browsing many other worthy options that had made it onto my short list.

Last week the moderator posted on the curriculum Yahoo Group that there was a full starter set of this particular curriculum available as a gift for anyone in need.....as a matter of fact, she was reposting the notice since no one had come forward to state they had a need. I was practically dancing in my seat as I sent her an email indicating I'd be interested. She forwarded my request to the family that had, 4 years prior, received this set brand new as a gift during a difficult time in their lives, and they were "paying it forward". Pam's situation 4 years ago was so similar to where my family is at right now (her husband was in construction and laid off just like my husband, my Mom is battling cancer and Pam's sister Sheryl was battling cancer, etc.). It's almost eerily similar, but I don't believe in coincidences. When Mike and I stepped out in faith to choose home schooling despite our finances so up in the air, I believed God would provide......but never in my wildest imagination did I think He'd provide a very specific curriculum for us - chosen from hundreds of options - through a stranger's gift. We're not even being asked to pay for shipping.

It would be an understatement to say that God continues to amaze me in how good He is to us, how mindful He is of the little things that concern us, and how He never leads us somewhere without making sure we have what we need for the journey. And if this is how the journey is starting off, I'm sure that my imagination can't even conceive of what an incredible year it's going to be.

"I get knocked down, but I get up again"

This song suddenly popped into my head as I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself. As a general rule, I try not to dwell on the negatives going on in my life. I fare better if I sort of block them out and don't deal with them on a minute-by-minute basis. That's not to say I live in fantasy land. I do "deal" with the bad stuff, but when there's too much of it, my coping mechanism is to file it all away in a remote, yet accessible, place rather than constantly think and talk about it. There's a lot of crappy stuff going on all around me.....some stuff I'm "livin' it", but mostly the bad stuff is happening to people I love. I feel helpless; my heart aches....unbelievably aches. I can't do much but pray. Even that strikes me as pointless when it seems every good thing that happens is promptly followed up with something bad. Lately I've been wondering why bother. I know I have many things I'm thankful for, but at times those wonderful things get overshadowed by the tremendous emotional roller coaster and stress I'm under right now. You could say this is a really difficult season of life, and at times (like today) I know it's not me "hanging on", but God holding me in the palm of His hand lest I slip away.


"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." ~ Lamentations 3:19-23

Hallmark Can't Beat This

When it comes to words of love, I don't think anything a Hallmark writer will ever put to paper can top what Paul wrote nearly 2,000 years ago.

Love is patient,
Love is kind.
It does not envy,
It does not boast,
It is not proud.
It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
But rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
Always trusts,
Always hopes,
Always perseveres.
Love never fails.


~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

How To Pray For My Husband

This was sent to me over the summer, and I found it in my drafts. Thought I'd finally share!

How To Pray For My Husband
Head To Toe!


His Head –That he will look to You as Lord of his life. (1 Corinthians 11:13)

His Mind - That he will have the mind of Christ and think as the Holy Spirit would lead him and not the flesh. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

His Eyes –That You will keep his eyes from temptation and that he will turn his eyes from sin. (Matthew 6:13, Mark 9:47)

His Ears - That he will hear Your still small voice instructing him. (1 Kings 19:12, Psalm 32:8)

His Mouth – That his words will be pleasing to You. (Proverbs 19:14)

His Neck –That he will humble himself before You and be strong, courageous, and careful to do everything written in Your Word so that he will be prosperous and successful. (James 4:10, Joshua 1:8-9)

His Heart-That he will love and trust You with his whole heart. (Deuteronomy 6;5, Proverbs 3:5)

His Arms-That You will be his strength. (Psalm 73:26)

His Hands-That he will enjoy the work of his hands and see it as a gift from You. (Ecclesiastes 3:13, 5:19)

His feet – That You will order his steps and that he will walk in Your truth. (Proverbs 4:25, Psalm 26:3)

Perfect Timing

Yesterday was an awesome day! Everything went so well with our trip to the Orthopedic Doctor. We're very relieved and thankful it's not more serious than it is! Thank you everyone for your prayers and kind thoughts!

Yesterday Mike also received a long-awaited phone call. I'm not sure if you recall, but while we were on vacation last October Mike received a call from Randy about a job at a mostly commercial company. At the time, Mike had a job, so we really needed to pray on whether this was an opportunity he should take. However, Mike got laid off 1.5 weeks after we returned from vacation, so that pretty much decided that the commercial job was a definite possibility, lol.

Mike turned in a resume last November (highly unusual for carpentry work), and then nothing happened. He stayed in contact with Randy, who kept encouraging Mike to "hang in there". Then last week Mike was told to come in for an interview, because they were ready to hire one new carpenter. One! In an industry that has the highest rate of unemployment in the nation right now (15%), you can imagine the competition for one position. I really believe God went before Mike and cleared the way, though, because the interview went well and Mike made a good impression. Yesterday the supervisor called and offered Mike the job!! Doing a serious happy dance here, and very grateful to God!

As for that perfect timing? A couple weeks ago I asked Mike to call our insurance to find out when it expired. Our insurance is based off of hours worked. So the hours worked one quarter qualify you for insurance the next quarter. As it turned out, we had insurance through May 2009, but Mike needed to start working and banking hours by early February in order for our insurance to continue uninterrupted. I'd say the timing on this job couldn't be more perfect!

One True God

I've been hearing a new song on the radio, and I just love it. I'd add it to my playlist, but it's not available yet! But "yay" for Youtube; I can always find what I need on there. It's really a beautiful song and such a humbling reminder of what an awesome God we have.

(Turn on your speakers and hit the play button below)

I don't have a God I can put on a stand
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand
I have a God that's holding me
And I don't have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make
I have a God, He made everything
So I don't need a temporary man-made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

He's the Lord of all the earth
The maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall
But even through it all
He remains
The one true God

I don't have a thing that I got on my own
I don't have a care that I carry alone
But I have a God who's carrying me
I don't have sin that He doesn't forgive
And I don't have a heart that is worthy of His
But I have a God who still loves me
So I don't need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
Who is this King of Glory

What's an Appetiz'n?

As we walked across the parking lot towards the tent, Charlotte asked, "What's an appetiz'n?"

"Well, darlin', an appetiz'n is a baptiz'n......"

For those who don't know, Mike made a decision to be baptized Sunday! How amazing it is to see the changes God has brought about in his life! I pray that God would continue to work in and through Mike's life in a powerful way.

Turn On Your Speakers!

Cheryl has a play list on her blog! Scroll on down to the bottom of the page if you want to change the song or see what I've got on there (subject to change when I get more time to fiddle around with it!)

I guess I'm like most people in that some music speaks to me, some doesn't. One song that I love is by Fleetwood Mac. I've known this song for a couple decades, and it wasn't until I was listening to it recently that it took on a new meaning for me. Water is used in a symbolic way in the Bible, and it dawned on me that this secular song speaks to me in a religious way. And while it may not speak to you in the same way, it still remains a beautiful song. So flip on your speakers and give it a listen.



Crystal
Written by Stevie Nicks.


Do you always trust your first initial feeling
Special knowledge holds true, bears believing

I turned around
And the water was closing all around like a glove
Like the love that had finally, finally found me
Then I knew in the crystaline knowledge of you
Drove me through the mountain
Through the crystal-like and clear water fountain
Drove me like a magnet
To the sea
To the sea
To the sea, yeah


How the faces of love have changed, turning the pages
And I have changed, oh, but you, you remain ageless


I turned around
And the water was closing all around like a glove
Like the love that had finally, finally found me
Then I knew in the crystaline knowledge of you
Drove me through the mountain
Through the crystal-like and clear water fountain
Drove me like a magnet
To the sea
To the sea

The Woman at the Well

If you're going to start a blog, you need a name. After some consideration, I decided that since I relate so well to a particular story in the Bible, I would use that as my inspiration. I think a lot of us can relate to the Samaritan woman who Jesus spoke to at the well.

(Just a little history here, the Samaritans are a mixed race from the Old Testament days. When Israel was conquered and the enemy moved in, they married Jews and the result was the Samaritans. The Samaritans were despised by the Jewish people. Rather than walk through their region, Jewish people would take the long, difficult way around. To interact with them was to become unclean. So when Jesus, a Jew, not only chose to walk straight through Samaria, but to also talk to a Samaritan WOMAN, this was seriously frowned upon.)

When we read about this Samaritan woman in John 4, we find out that she was married and divorced 5 times, and was currently living with a man who she was not married to. After some conversation together, she comes to believe that Jesus is the Messiah they've heard about.

What speaks to me so deeply about this story is that Jesus doesn't ignore or scorn this woman "livin' in sin"; he doesn't even tell her to go get her life straightened out first or kick the Significant Other to the curb. There is no laundry list of requirements I need to complete to have Jesus accept my trust and faith. He accepts the Samaritan woman's faith in him as the Messiah and sends her on her way to tell others in her village, so why not me too?

So, there are no prerequisites to believing in and accepting the one and only true God. He accepts me right where I'm at. I found this quite liberating.....you mean I don't have to get my life all polished up first?? It was one of those right-here-right-now deals. The beautiful thing is that over time, I began to change and move in positive directions as I allowed the Spirit of God to work in me.

And that's the story that inspired the naming of my blog.