Sacred vs Secular?

I'm still reading Your God is Too Safe by Mark Buchanan. (It really has too much to say to read fast, though I desparately want to...) One of the last chapters I read really resonated with me - it had to do with invoking God's presence, the sacred vs the secular. Here are a few of the thoughts that really reaffirm how I feel:

"...Theology was once queen of the sciences. It ruled over and gathered into it all disciplines...But we live in the ruins of such a world. A wedge has been driven between the things of God and the things of man, between the sacred and the secular, church and society, faith and physics, the invisible and the visible....Nietzsche was wrong, we haven't killed God; we've just domesticated Him....Our day-to-day life is over here, and God is over there.

...When we remove the false distinction between sacred and secular, see all things existing by Him, for Him, and through Him, we are then free to redeem many so-called secular activities for the kingdom of God.

...Why shouldn't Shakespeare's plays and courses in philosophy and long midnight chats enrich rather than diminish our life before God? God owns these things, too, and can bend them to His purpose. His light shines on them too.

...Why can't we gather our whole lives into the divine embrace?

...If Sunday for one hour is the only time we worship, no wonder we do it sloppily, haltingly, hastily, and leave as hungry as we came. If we only ate one day a week, and on that day only one meal, we would die soon enough.

....rarely if ever do we ask the Spirit to reveal to us more of God when we study a leaf, rock, bird, child, painting, carving, or poem.

..."Our life," the duke says in Shakespeare's As You Like It, "finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." This in not animism, not pantheism. This, rather, is the recognition, a biblically shaped and grounded recognition, that God's ways of speaking, His methods of disclosure, are wide and varied. As such, we need to walk open eyed and with ears pricked.

Expectancy is the belief that God will do something. Expectation insists He do it in just this way. Sometimes expectation blinds us more to the God who is here right now than outright disbelief does. The Pharisees couldn't see Jesus for looking...but imagine a life buoyed by expectancy, by the conviction that the Lord will show Himself. How, where, when - we don't know that. We don't dictate the terms.

"Earth is crammed with heaven
and every common bush afire with God;
but only he who sees takes off his shoes.
The rest sit around it and
pluck blackberries."

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

We are talking here about a tectonic shift in the way we see the world."

I am Not Supposed to be Here.....

While painting at Mike and Julie's the other day, Mike put Michael Card's Joy in the Journey CD on. For many years that has been one of my favorite CD's. I hadn't listened to it in awhile and in the listening I remembered just why I liked Michael Card so well. When I got home I dragged out all my Michael Card CD's and gave them a listen. One song struck me because of some things I have been experiencing in my life recently. Here are the lyrics:

It was His final word as we walked beside the sea
"You will be led where you don't want to go,"
I knew that he would test my faith and all that I believed
But just how far then I would never know

And He would send a vision then, once more beside the sea
To a rooftop where my ecstasy was seen
To ask what was unaskable, three times the vision came
And demanded I embrace what was unclean

You know I'm not supposed to be here
To cross the line no one has crossed before
To simply be one of the fools
That you've called to break the rules
And to go someplace I'm not supposed to be

My stumbling faith responded to what my mind said wasn't right
So I left that place and followed in a dream
To find unfamiliar strangers who were hungry for the Light
Then I realized that no one is unclean

But I was born to be a winner
And not to serve some fallen conquered king
Who took up the cross and bled
When he broke himself for bread
In a place where he was not supposed to be

And you know I'm not supposed to be here
And to go someplace I'm not supposed to be
To cross the line no one has crossed before
To simply be one of the fools
That you've called to break the rules
And to go someplace I'm not supposed to be

The fish question is beside the point....

I have been thinking about Jonah lately. I always thought I knew what Jonah was about - you know, the basic obedience thing. But lately a new aspect of Jonah has occurred to me, one that hits me harder than the obedience issue. It's a more subtle problem, but I know when I think about it I am so guilty of being like Jonah. It occurred to me that Jonah's reason for running from God was not as obvious as "I just don't want to go"," it's inconvenient" whatever. It was the fact that Jonah wanted to do God's job and decide who was and who was not acceptable for the kingdom. He just plain didn't like the Ninevites. He didn't want to go because he was afraid God would forgive them and allow them to enter the Kingdom. Wow - that puts a whole new spin on things. Why don't I reach out to certain people? God loves us all equally and wants us all to be part of His kingdom. He loves my worst enemy, He loves people that hurt me. He loves people that do serious wrong in the world. He loves the inmate on death row, He loves the terrorist. I don't love them. I want revenge, I want them to get what they have coming, unless of course it's God's love and forgiveness! That's a pretty sobering thought. And it turns concepts like capital punishment upside down. I don't get to decide! I don't get to choose! I don't get to play God. I think we get so wrapped up in the story of Jonah, and whether it really happened or not that we miss the point. Or we look at the obvious symbolism of the three days, death and resurrection and don't look any deeper. We don't see God is concerned with everyone not just those who are worthy of His concern. And we don't realize that in our selfishness we don't want God's concerns to be our own. As Mark Buchanan puts it: "It's hard to draw close to God...when He so clearly doesn't cherish what we cherish or hate whom we hate - who doesn't share our fetishes or grievances or prejudices...when He's not safe. It's hard to obey a God like that." In incarnation He stands beside us no matter who we are and what we've done, whether we deserve it or not. Whether we are the sinner or the Pharisee, the redeemed or the bitter unbeliever. The point of Jonah in my life today? I just need to quit running and let God be God. I need to quit complaining and sulking and judging and learn the lesson of Jonah; God is concerned with all mankind. Even those who are a thorn in my side and don't see things the same way I do. And most importantly, He is not willing that any should perish. I am such a slow learner!

The Solid Rock

A song that has really spoken to my heart over the last week or so is an old hymn. It was written by Edward Mote, back in 1834. These past few weeks I have been struggling in a lot of areas; nothing I want to go into here, but suffice it to say, it has been hard. Last week this old hymn began to invade my thoughts and seep its way into my soul. I have always loved this hymn, but right now it is hitting home (especially verses 2 and 3); this is what I need to remember, to hang on to. I find it amazing that an old hymn like this can speak so clearly to our needs today! I hope we never discard these rich expressions of our faith.

The Solid Rock

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

* Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

3. His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Everyone should spend a day with a baby......

Did you ever notice how excited a baby gets when it hears its parent's voice? It wiggles and grins and the excitement literally shines from his or her eyes.
Or when the baby sees mom or dad's face? It does anything possible to get to them including attempting to jump out of someone else's arms.
And no matter how quiet the parent may be as he or she enters the room the baby always senses its presence.
So why is it we as God's children don't often experience this reaction? In fact, many times we hide, or at the very least run the other way. Or maybe we just sit and wait for Him to come to us, usually on our terms.
I want to have that childlike excitement, desire, the I'll do anything to get there" attitude. I want to be delighted by the sight of my Father, or even when I can't see Him, to be overjoyed at the sound of His voice. I want to jump out of the things that are holding me back and into His arms. I want to sense when He is near and be attuned enough to His quiet presence to hear even the still small voice.
I want to wiggle and grin with excitement at the prospect of spending time in His presence. I want to become that baby whose all consuming desire, and greatest joy is to be with my Father.

Further lessons from Emma

It's amazing what babies can teach you. Emma is ready to crawl. She wants to get around. She wants to explore, to be able to get to her parents, whatever. And so she is up on all fours rocking. Rocking, rocking, going nowhere - just frustrating herself. Pitching forward on her nose, or in defeat dropping to her belly and scooting. All she has to do is lift up her little hand and move it forward, lift up her little knee and do the same. But she doesn't get it.
Ok - parallel to my life. Here I am, rocking on all fours, ready to go, frustrated with where I am. Wanting to be closer to God, wanting to explore all He has for me. And yet, I keep rocking, forgetting that in order to move forward I have to pick my hand up off the safety of the ground and reach forward. I have to realize in order to move forward I have to take some risk. Make a conscious effort to follow the first letting go of my safe life and follow it with another release of the ground with another part of me too. Instead I just rock and rock and rock, occasionally pitching forward on my nose and crying in anger and frustration. Or I just drop to my belly and revert to embracing the safety of those ground things in my life even though it makes moving forward a hundred times harder. I move, but so slowly I don't get far before I give up, exhausted. Looks like we both have a challenge Emma - but somehow I have a feeling you'll figure it out before me.....

Emma's lesson....

So, today I was at Mike and Julie's helping paint their new house so they can move in next week. During one part of the day I was trying to calm Emma down. Poor baby - it was a rough day for her - unfamiliar surroundings, off schedule, over stimulated, and afraid to miss anything that might be happening - even for one little minute. Beyond tired and totally exhausted, she refused at times to be comforted, fighting sleep and refusing to give in to people who loved her, knew she needed her rest, and only wanted the best for her. As I stood rocking her, holding her close in my arms it hit me - I am so like a baby right now. I'm like Emma, I'm unfamiliar in my surroundings, my life is off kilter, I am over stimulated, and overwhelmed in my questioning and reading, yet I can't stop because I'm afraid I might miss something important. Something I need to know, something that is happening that I need to be a part of. And in my life I am totally exhausted, worn down, overwhelmed and frustrated. Yet I refuse to accept the solace, the comfort, the rest that my Heavenly Father, who loves me so much, who knows what is best for me, who wants me to rest in him, is offering. He is holding me in His arms and I am kicking and screaming and fighting those loving arms, trying to do it on my own. Not accepting His direction although He obviously knows what I need, what is best for me right now. And I am exhausting myself in my struggle, but I refuse to give in. How stubborn am I?
And the parallal between me and Emma is convicting to say the least. Now the question is, what am I going to do about it?

God is God. Not safe, but good.

I've been thinking about the following quote a lot lately. It has always been one of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but lately it has taken on a whole new meaning:
“Then he [Aslan] isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” Said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe but he’s good. He's the King, I tell you."
My God has been too safe, too comfortable, too nice... I wanted Him to remove me from the storm instead of seeing me through it; I wanted Him to make the problems go away instead of being a refuge, a hiding place. I believed He was (and always would be) just what I wanted and needed Him to be. And when I didn't need Him, he sat on the shelf.
"And at times the gap between the god we want and the God who wants us is vast beyond bridging." (Buchanan)
Then one day I, perhaps without realizing the ramifications of what I was doing, ventured out of that safe zone. Into an attempt at Kingdom living. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time. Who is God? What does He want from me? What is His plan? What are His attributes, and how should I be living in light of them? What does it mean to be a Christ follower? What does scripture say and mean about God? Jesus? The Kingdom of God? It has been a roller coaster life ever since. High highs, and lowest lows, but not boring! Awe, amazement, joy, pain, astonishment, frustration, excitement, fear, struggles, discouragement, trembling in light of His holiness. - the whole gamut of emotions. It's not easy. It's not comfortable. It's overwhelming at times, and scary. And it's not safe. God isn't safe - not by any stretch of the imagination. But He's good.

Which Saint are You?

So, I found this quiz on Mike's blog. Interesting.... Here are my results:

You are Joan of Arc! You don't really want to hurt
anyone, but if they attack your friends or your
country and no-one else will stand up to fight
them, you head into the battle. Beware though,
conviction tends to get you killed.

Which Saint Are You?

Thoughts from Elouise Renich Fraser.....

I am currently reading Confessions of a Beginning Theologian by Elouise Renich Fraser. It has really been an encouragement to me in light of where I am on this journey I have found myself on.

"Becoming a theologian is about accepting God's invitation to get started. It's about doing things beginners do. Beginners ask questions even though they're afraid some are dumb questions. They make mistakes even thought they want to get things right the first time. They accept help whether they've asked for it or not. They don't try to figure everything out on their own. They have fears, hopes and expectations. They....dare to take those first awkward steps. I was full of fear when I began seminary. Fear of being wrong(I had a need to be right). Fear of doing wrong (I was a married woman with children). Fear of being misunderstood (I didn't want to rock any boats). Fear of being criticized and fear of being ignored. Fear of change, Fear of exposing my limited academic background. Fear of being laughed at, especially behind my back. Fear of not being able to manage everything - children, marriage, finances. Fear of failure.

God invites us to become beginners. To forget about the impression we think we're making. To stop nodding yes when we don't yet understand what the other person is saying. To give up the habit of apologizing for taking up too much time with our questions. To stop trying to do it all by ourselves, not letting anyone know we feel overwhelmed. To stop hiding behind silence.

I know what happens when I lose touch with myself as a beginner. I become anxious and guarded lest I look or sound like a beginner. I lose my ability to wonder, to ask questions, to let my ignorance show and to laugh at myself. I lose my freedom and try to skate without letting go of the rail. I begin second guessing myself, which leads to failure of nerve and loss of confidence. I become obsessed with what other people think about me and my work. I accept their negative opinions as inerrant. Worst of all, I lose touch with the cutting edge of my life, which is the cutting edge of my theology.

We learn early to cloak ourselves in deceptive armors of competence and self-reliance. They're deceptive because they won't protect us from being hurt and misinterpreted. Instead they place more layers between us and God's surprises. It takes courage to begin laying down the disguises that hide our beginner status."

Helpless...

that's how I feel in the aftermath of Katrina. My heart hurts for the people of New Orleans. Just the thought of the devastation and the hopelessness in the faces of a city and it's people brings me to tears. Why were so many people left in that city? Why didn't someone come along side a poor or sick neighbor and see that they were safely out of the city? Why didn't the city, in the face of such an obvious threat find a way to make sure those in the poorest areas, those with no means of transportation, those who were sick or elderly had a way to evacuate to safety? And why was relief so long in coming, that when it did come the rescuers were being attacked? Imagine if you had had no food, or water for days, no clean, dry clothes, no shelter, and you were afraid for yourself, your family, your neighbors. The heat is oppressive, the smell is intolerable. And then they sent one small bus at a time to rescue people. How would you respond? I truly feel for the people of New Orleans. The forgotten people.
How can this possibly have happened in a city in the US? To a city, yes, that can't be controlled, but to a people - what were those who had the ability to be proactive thinking?
Now the question becomes what can I do? How can I help? And I haven't figured it out yet.
But I weep for a city, all the displaced souls; in disbelief and shock, I weep and pray.

He Will Carry Me ~ Mark Schultz

I call, You hear me
I've lost it all
And it's more than I can bear
I feel so empty

You're strong, I'm weary
I'm holding on
But I feel like giving in
But still You're with me

And even though I'm walking
Through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I've been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me

I know I'm broken
But You alone
Can mend this heart of mine
You're always with me

And even though I'm walking
Through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I've been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me
He will carry me

And even though I feel so lonely
Like I have never been before
You never said it would be easy
But You said You'd see me through the storm

And even though I'm walking
Through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I've been wounded in my battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me
He will carry me
He will carry me

Today's gift....

Wow - I have been pretty discouraged at work lately trying to get the new computer lab up and running. You can only set up so many computers before you hit the wall. Not only that, anytime I get motivated to really go at it I get interrupted by three or four people needing help with computer problems elsewhere. I don't really want to even see another computer, or help anyone with their tech problems right now. I just want to sit in a chair and let the world go by...
BUT today a friend came by with lunch and music, (bless you Dana!), and got me moving again. She just came in and starting unpacking CPU's and monitors and helped me set them up and we knocked off 5 more in no time. Woo Hoo! :) Big morale boost! Now I'm over halfway done, and psychologically that's huge! Only 9 more to go.....

Thank goodness this week is over!

So it has been a long, hard week at work. I am so totally exhausted. Despite my best efforts I only have 10 computers assembled, up and running. The teachers just need so much hand holding right now that I'm not accomplishing much else! Hopefully next week I can get into high gear. Though I must admit there are only so many computers you can assemble at a time without losing your mind....
But "I [got] by with a little help from my friends" - dinner out Tuesday, dinner out with different friends Wednesday, and tonight was the first football game of the season, so we had a great time there. The band sounded and looked pretty darn good! And to top it off, we won! ~ 35-14!! All moral boosters and stress relievers. And tomorrow we have a wedding. More good times.
The week is over. I survived.

Woo Hoo!

It's finally out and I have it!! I am sooooo excited.
Here's an example:

Mercy in Me

A poor man on the corner
I could give to You by buying him lunch
But I rarely think about it
'Cause I got a little but it's not that much
And I pray Lord won't you help me
Give me a little bit more for myself
And You say Child won't you let me
Take all that you got and give you a little real wealth

And I don't know what You want
What you see in my life
And I don't know what you mean
How You could be glorified
I'm not too sure about this idea of sacrifice
What You mean by mercy, mercy in me
Your mercy in me

A young girl in an old house
Three kids and another on the way
She's in desperate need of some new clothes
But I keep my old ones and tell her I'll pray for her
But Your heart breaks for those kids
And that child of a mom who's one of Your own
When a few gifts and a little time is another crown
I could lay at the feet of Your throne

And I don't know what You want
What you see in my life
And I don't know what you mean
How You could be glorified
I'm not too sure about this idea of sacrifice
What You mean by mercy, mercy in me
Your mercy in me

Where is a good man when you need one?

I swear I'm never letting my hubby go out of town again......
As long as he is here we're good. When he's gone...... See, we now have 4 cars. Unfortunately it's a necessity due to scheduling, school, work etc. Chris works in Aurora, Kim works in Franklin Park, Carissa is in highschool, but very involved, Kelsey is going to College of Dupage, and I have to work too. So we got a new car and that brought us up to 4 functioning and fairly reliable vehicles.
Kim leaves last week for a canoe trip to the boundary waters. I'm jealous of the time he gets to spend with his friends away from here, but not of the location. ;) Anyway, he's only been gone a couple days when the van dies. We're ok - he's gone, so 3 cars work fine. But as soon as he gets home on Thursday (18th) he turns around and leaves Friday am for Ohio with 3 buddies to go to several baseball games. And he was supposed to take the van. Nope, he has to rent a car, and the van is still sitting in our driveway.
So Chris comes home last night (19th) with his sad tale; a stupid driver in the left lane decided he needed to turn right (on 59 by Fox Valley Mall) and so he just stopped dead in the left lane and Chris hit him. The stupid driver and his SUV had no damage so he talks to Chris and says forget it, no big deal, I gotta go and leaves. No information exchanged at all. Chris comes home and begins to see there is a lot more damage than he thought to his car, but now there is no recourse. Chris's car is now held together with duct tape and a prayer. And common sense did prevail and he did call the police and together they decided all things considered he didn't need to file an accident report. Our insurance wouldn't have paid anyway, the car is old and we took collision off the insurance.
So, now we're down from 4 cars to 2 till the others get fixed. I'm afraid to go anywhere today! LOL.
And while this drama is playing out, where is Kim? At the Reds game with his buddies having a blast. Tonight they have club seats at the Indians game which is super cool, and it's actually Kim's birthday so that is even cooler. Tomorrow they are off to Detroit and the Tigers.
I really need to find some friends to go somewhere with........

Renewal

Rain. It has been such a precious commodity this summer. Now it is raining and I am satisfied. Ironically, not because we need it so badly, no, but because the rhythm of the rain is soothing and calming. I love rain in the summer as long as it isn't a daily occurrence.
I love the gentle whisper of the rain on the roof. I love the sweet breath of the breeze. My soul dances to the muted rumble of thunder in the distance. It's exciting to see a dusty and faded landscape become crystal clear and bright again. To smell the heady, invigorating scent of a freshly washed earth. It lulls me to laziness. To daydream, to think, to pray, to curl up with a good book. I am comforted. I love the rain in the summer.

School starts Monday...

Where did the summer go? Better question - how did I make use of my time? I intended to really get some work done around this house (that always slides during the school year), to work in the yard, and to get some quality reading done. Well I didn't accomplish any of the above. Between being a chauffeur, taking a vacation (better word is trip), the heat and drought (which only effected the outside work), a new puppy, out of town guests and other assorted distractions I barely had time to sit down. I am sad that it is over. I am frustrated by my lack of accomplishment. And I am just plain tired. Not a good way to begin a new school year. But begin I will come Monday. First up? Setting up 25 new computers (they are still in the box) in my computer lab, and hand-holding 20 teachers as they discover the district went to a new operating system over the summer and they (the teachers) have to re-setup and/or update everything on their classroom computers including their e-mail.....
So here's a pretty accurate breakdown of my first few days of school: Get up early. Show up for work. Put on my armor. Answer the same question 20 times or more. Listen to complaints - valid and those perceived as such. Take a deep breath (hoping not to hyperventilate from repetition). Count to 10 (many times....). Smile. Lock the door to my room. Bang head on wall. Come home. Collapse. Make dinner. Fall asleep with a book in my hands.
Repeat daily...... :D

My visit to Willow Creek

So, I went with a friend to Willow/Wheaton today. Impressions? It was interesting. Good band ~ but really not as much music as I thought there might be. Especially considering the set up involved on a weekly basis. (They share facilities with Wheaton Academy.)
Mixed crowd - multi-generational, I saw anywhere from babies clear up to a couple in their late 70's or so.
I find I don't really care for the video preaching concept. It distracts me. And somehow, oddly enough it doesn't really feel like church. Whatever the definition of church may be. It felt more like entertainment, yet that is probably just a perception on my part. I also like action with reaction, I like a preacher who can feel when he is really getting through to people and conversely when he is losing them.
The message was good - good concepts, good integration of scripture - though that aspect was not off-putting to seekers or new believers as all the quoted scripture was up on the screen - no Bible necessary. Though again, I like to have my Bible and use it as a tool, as a supplement as I am listening.
What surprised me the most, and according to my friend isn't a regular occurrence, was the fact that there was an alter call. Having been raised a good evangelical Baptist who knows the drill I was amused, (it literally brought a smile to my face) by the updated alter call. Not being from a "conventional" Baptist church, alter calls were rare in my church, but I have been in many churches where they are as expected as a weekly offering.... Now, at Willow, instead of the tedious, protracted, often mind numbing verses of "Just As I Am" they used a very current CCM/worship style "Just As I Am", upbeat and intentional. New, yet very much the same old thing. I almost laughed out loud.....
I did come away with a couple of good concepts. One is very relevant to attitudes found in many of our churches - you know, the kick 'em when they're down, shoot your wounded attitude you see in judgmental Christianity. It is the concept of a baby learning to walk, and the support and patience of our heavenly Father. Babies fail. They fall. Sometimes they can't take any more than one little step before they stumble. So it is with all of us at any given time in our lives. Instead of yelling at us, telling us how stupid we are, judging us for our ineptitude, and derisively asking us when we are ever going to learn, our Father gently lifts us to our feet, and offers us his hand, all the while encouraging us to try again. And again. And yet again.
If our perfect Father is so understanding, so forgiving, who are we to sit in judgment of others shortcomings?
And secondly, the concept that really caught my imagination was my life as drawn on an Etch-A-Sketch. No matter who you are, it is very difficult to draw anything that even resembles a picture on an Etch-A-Sketch. We make false starts, wrong moves, we totally make a mess of our picture. Yet we can in humility offer our messed up, distorted lives to the Master and He will take it - just as it is. At which time, with grace and mercy, He will gently shake the ruin of our life and erase the mistakes and messiness therein. Gone. Forgiven. Erased completely. And returns a clean slate/screen on which to begin again. Wow!
So anyway. That was my experience at Willow. I believe God is using it in a mighty way. And I'm thankful it reaches those that many traditional churches do not. I will probably visit again sometime - it was an enjoyable experience. But it would not be my choice on a regular basis. A little too modern for my taste. A little too circusy and polished ~ I find myself entertained instead of worshiping. Simple at heart, intentional in worship, desirous of more connectedness, I would not thrive in Willow's environment. But I am happy for those who do.

Good company!

It's been a busy few days. My sister-in-law has been here to visit. :) We were roommates in college and obviously we married brothers..... Her kids are 21, 18(19), and 16 like mine, and self-sufficient, so she flew in to visit me from Ohio on Wednesday. I was a little worried with Cairo, because she is allergic to dogs..but hey, the picture tells the story. They became great friends and I'm sure Cairo will miss Aunt Brenda!
We did have a great time - shopping, talking, eating - ya know, girl stuff......
Anyway - that's what I've been doing this week! :)