First of all, I apologize for the funky layout and the fonts being all messed up in this post.  I couldn't get it to cooperate when I copied and pasted this from my original notes.

My husband asks me to present the sermon each Mother's Day at our church.  Here is part 2 of my sermon this past Sunday. 
~~~~~
I will admit, I am not without regrets. 

One of the things I DO regret is the time I have spent and do spend worrying.  Pretend you have a backpack full of stones labeled stress, pressures, anxiety, questions about the future (will they go to college?  who will they marry?), sickness, needs, safety, future plans, house, kidnappers...Are their teeth going to come in straight?  What if they get picked on?  Oh, there are many, many "what ifs!"

If I could do things over again, I would try harder to cast all my care upon Him, because He cares for me as it says in 1 Peter 5:7.

I regret carrying burdens and worries so long by myself when Jesus was always ready to take them from me and carry them for me. 

But I can't go back.  All I can do is from this time forward, is make a decision to give to God every single thing that is bothering me.  Imagine Jesus coming along beside you, and taking all the weight of worry that hinders you. 

Cast off  that backpack of worry!  Throw it AWAY.

When Blind Bartimaeus came to Jesus to be healed -- he cast aside his garment.  Why?  Because that garment was something he was required by law to wear that identified him as a beggar.  Also in those days, people used their cloaks as blankets for sleeping.  Imagine!  This man throwing all that he owned aside, realizing before He received his miracle that he was a beggar no more!"  (Matthew 10:50-52.)

We, too, can cast away that garment of worry that tells the world, God and the devil that we have no faith. 

Sure, you can wear it if you want to.  It's comfy.  It feels familiar and safe. 

But really, it's not safe at all.  Worry = fear = lack of faith.

We are living in scary times right now.  We've heard this our whole lives.  However, I truly believe we need to be on our knees praying for the next leader of these United States. 

But we don't need to be afraid. 

Don't do what I did.  Don't live a life of worry.  Don't be like the disciples in the boat WITH JESUS and scared of the storm all around you.  "Why are you fearful?" Jesus asked. 

NO!

Instead, live as Bartimaeus did.  CAST OFF that garment of fear and heaviness and worry!

Keep your eyes off of the storm, and keep your eyes on JESUS!

Do it now!  CAST IT OFF!

The Bible tells us to cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ  (2 Cor. 10:5).

Realize this:  if you don't cast if off -- you are in disobedience.  It is a command.  To say that your problem is bigger than God is a lie.  So when you are casting down imaginations you are casting down all the "what ifs" that you can imagine;   When you are "casting down the high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God" you are casting down that voice in your head that says it's too big for God.  When you exalt that circumstance above God,  you are, in essence, worshiping that circumstance instead of God.  You MUST bring into captivity every thought to the OBEDIENCE of Christ!

OBEY HIM NOW AND CAST ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM FOR HE CARETH FOR YOU!!  (1 Peter 5:7)

The devil wants to be scared.  He wants us to wonder:  what will happen to our country if a godless leader is elected?  What if gas goes up to $5.00/gallon?

I'm not God.  I don't know what will happen.  But He knows the future  and He won't be surprised.  To worry about it is a "what if."  I'm not supposed to worry about that.  It's God's problem.  I will do my part, yes.  I will pray for a godly leader, I will pray that our country remains sovereign, I will pray that God will provide for my family when food prices skyrocket.  But then I will do my best to LEAVE IT THERE. 

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW!

"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"  Matthew 6:28-34.

I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the One Who feeds the sparrow,
Is the One Who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you!"   Peter 5:7

CAST IT OFF!!

Cast OUT those devils of worry and fear and put ON the sheild of FAITH!

But, you say, my faith is small.  The Bible says in Luke 21:4 that the little widow cast more than anybody because she cast all that she had.  So CAST it!  CAST it!  Give that faith to Jesus -- and He will make it grow. 

"But my child is in prison."  Cast it on Jesus.

"But my grandchildren's parents don't go to church."  Give it to Jesus.

If we would pray as much as we spent time worrying, our faith would grow.  And Jesus would carry our burdens because we would sense His peace.


God is there for you.  His love and acceptance is even greater than a mother's love and acceptance: 

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.  Isaiah 66:13

(c) 2008 Karla Akins

My husband has a tradition at our church of letting me present the sermon on Mother's Day.  Below is an excerpt of my sermon.  I will post the other parts of it later.  I'm sorry for the formatting this time.  I'm not sure why the margins and fonts are all funky.  I tried to fix them to no avail.

~~~~

When I was young -- and more stupid than I am now -- I swore I would never be a parent.  I had helped raise my brothers and sisters and I had had enough with dirty diapers, screaming uncooperative kids, and the mess that comes with it.  I never realized or had been taught in public school that children are a BLESSING not a BURDEN. 

        "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord:  and the fruit of         the womb is his reward"  Psalm 127:3.

Of course, that changed when I got married and became a step-mother to the most adorable three-year-old girl I had ever met then or now.  She was captivating. 
 

I also started working with other people's children as a Kindergarten teacher.  I soon realized I loved children and wanted children of my own.  We waited three years before deciding to have a baby, and I didn't expect to have fertility issues.  But I did.  My oldest son came along, and though we wanted more children sooner, more kids didn't come along until five and a half years later when I went on fertility drugs to have my second son.  Four years and several foster children later, because of my difficulties bearing children of my own, we adopted the twins. 

I loved being a mother then and I love being a mother and grandmother now.  Motherhood is the most important job I've ever had.   

Has it been hard?  It's been the most difficult thing I've ever tried to do. 

Did I do it right?  Do I do it well?  Probably not.  That's been hard for me to accept.  I wanted to be Mother of the Year.  I wanted to be the kind of mother that people write about in poems and famous people talk about in interviews with Oprah.

I wanted to be that mother spoken of in Proverbs 31:28:  "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. '

I wanted to be the Queen of all Mothers.  But instead, I discovered that I was the Queen of all imperfectness. 

If there was a mistake to make in mothering, I probably made it.  If there was an opportunity not to be missed, I probably missed it.  But one thing I did do was try.  I tried with all my heart to be a good mother just as most mothers do.  And I have no regrets for trying.  So here are a list of things about my experience with motherhood that I do not regret:

1.  I don't regret being a home school mom and being home with my children.  I have a vast storehouse of precious memories to comfort me in my lonely hours.   I have told this story before, but I'll share it here again.  When my oldest son was three years old, he came into the house with a stick.  He asked me to plant it as a tree beside where he was working on his tricycle so the birds would come and sit on it.  I explained to him that birds are scared of people and wouldn't come.  But he insisted if I planted that stick, the birds would come.  So, I planted the stick.  A few moments later there was a little sparrow sitting on it, right beside where my son was standing.  I tapped the window gently to get his attention -- he hadn't seen the bird yet -- and pointed to the little bird.  He smiled at me and went right back to his work.  It wasn't a miracle to him.  He already had enough faith to believe that if he planted a stick, a bird would sit on it.  But it was a miracle this mother ponders in her heart to this day.  And because I was home, I didn't miss it.

2.  I don't regret going without fancy things so I could stay home with my babies. 

3.  I don't regret wearing the same shoes for ten years or driving an old, beat up, loud car so I could watch my children learn to read and write and memorize scripture.

4.  I don't regret being a foster parent or adopting children who are cognitively disabled.  Sure, I regret, perhaps, how I handle the stress sometimes, but do I regret being their mother?  Have you seen how those boys love me?  How could anyone regret getting that kind of love?

 5.  I don't regret bringing my children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  It's a tough world out there.  I don't know how anyone does it without having their kids in church and in the Word of God.

6.  I don't regret making my children go to church every time it was time for church. 

7.  I don't regret that people thought I didn't have a "real job" because I was a home school mom.

8.  I don't regret graduating from being Karla to being "Noah's Mom," or "Jesse's Mom."  or "Isaiah’s and Isaac's Mom" or Melissa's "Step-mom."

9.  I don't regret keeping my marriage together even when it was very, very difficult, only because I wanted my children to have their father.  The tough times passed.  We made it through.  And, as long as abuse is not involved, I do believe that children are a very good reason for a marriage to remain intact.  Sometimes that's what it takes to get through the hard times. 

10.  I don't regret leaving a career behind that would give me an ego boost in order to be "just a mom."  There is nothing more important that I can possibly think of doing.

11.  I don't regret being home to see all the firsts that my babies experienced:  their first tooth, their first word, their first steps, their first reading book.  I relish all those memories and ponder them in my heart.

12.  I do not regret reading my Bible often and teaching the Word of God to my children in the comfort of our home.  I have many wonderful memories of our long Bible study discussions while snuggled up on the couch in our pajamas.

13.  I do not regret reading to my children.  These, too, are some of my favorite memories.  We scaled castle walls and conquered fortified cities for hours in the pages of books.

14.  I don't regret teaching my children the verse in Exodus 20 v 12 that reads:  “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee”  Exodus 20:12.  (We always joked that this scripture meant that I wouldn't kill them as long as they did what I said!)

I don't have many regrets, but that doesn't mean I didn't make mistakes.  It also doesn't mean my children turned out to be perfect angels.  Why, the nerve of them for not having the desire to run for President of these United States!  How will Oprah ever find out what a great mother I am?  (Just for the record, I never watch Oprah.)

I can waste my life pondering how I could have done things differently, or I can forgive myself and move on.  That doesn't mean I don't grieve over my mistakes and repent of them.  But God is not a God of yesterday.  That is, when we do repent and come to Him for forgiveness, He forgives us.  The Bible says that He casts our sins "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” Psalm 103:12.

And so, no matter the status of our children -- whether they are Governor of Indiana, or on death row, or by God's grace, somewhere in between, God has forgiven our mistakes as Moms.

Now, we can either wallow in self-doubt and self-pity thereby pleasing Satan himself, or we can learn from our mistakes.  All that learning is why the Bible tells the older women to teach the younger women -- because we have made mistakes and if we were teachable, we learned from them.  Now we are able to share our wisdom gleaned from the school of hard knocks with others:

“The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed”  Titus 2:3-5.

This scripture shows us that we can be TAUGHT to be good mothers and wives.  That it isn’t necessarily something that comes naturally.  What a relief!   

It is difficult, though, to teach someone who thinks they know everything.  So younger women (and older women, too) should keep their hearts teachable, ready to learn, and not so high minded to think they have nothing new to discover; or be afraid that someone will think less of them because they don't know everything.  No one can know everything.  There is always something more to learn.  I am learning all the time.  I learn everyday.
Before the twins, I was extremely self-reliant.  It was a real blow to my self-image to realize that I could not raise these little boys by myself.  I wasn't used to not doing everything by myself.  I was a home school Mom.  Home school Moms in those days were rugged pioneers.  There was no Internet, no support groups, and not even many curriculum companies in those days.  Nobody we were related to had ever home schooled.  Nobody in our community home schooled or had even heard of it.  We early home schoolers were made of tough stuff.  By golly, we were independent, self-governing, free-spirited do-it-yourself women.  My library was full of countless books on the subject of home schooling and child rearing.  I was sure there was little I did not know about how to raise kids.

But just when I thought I knew it all, God threw me two curve balls named Isaiah and Isaac.  Then, he tackled me with a little thing called Autism.

I'm so glad He did.  Because if He hadn't, I wouldn't have learned all I know today.

One of the things I wouldn’t have learned is that God really does use imperfect people.  I would have continued to think I had the market cornered on this motherhood thing.  (Of course, the kids would have grown up and then I'd realize I didn't, but back then I needed a wake-up call.) 

We are simply vessels that God works through if we let Him.  And if we are perfect, without any imperfections, light can't shine through us.  Like a perfect pot, with no cracks in it, the light can't get through.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”  2 Corinthians 5:7.

If only we who are so imperfect, will let God shine through us, His Light will shine through all the cracks of our imperfection.  And we need to let it.  Instead of hiding how imperfect we are, we need to get out there, get real, and let people see we're not perfect, and that it's OK with God.  It's not like it's a huge revelation to Him.  He didn't die for a perfect world.  He died for an imperfect world.

It's OK for your kids and grandkids and all the church ladies and other home school moms to know you aren't perfect.  Because then God will shine through.

Matthew 2:18 says,  "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

There are millions of mothers today weeping for their children.  Some of these children have died from hunger or illness or violence or disease.  Others weep because their children are lost -- perhaps missing, or runaways, in prison, or not serving the Lord.  Maybe you are one of those mothers. 

If you're not a mother who is weeping today, remember the mourning mothers in the world.  Remember that they need you to help them get through this season in their life.  They need your prayers.      

        It's easier to hide and not let anyone see our             imperfections.  But we need to minister to these mothers so that they can see the light of God shining through.  And maybe, just maybe, if we step out and help -- that light will reach them, and there will be less weeping by mothers in the world.





(c) 2008 Karla Akins

We have been reading BEOWULF as a school this past week and last.  We had an interesting spontaneous debate today before lunch.  We weren't even reading the book at the time!  Don't you just love it when your kids are so engaged with literature that they talk about it during the day?

Anyway, all eleven of my students debated whether or not BEOWULF fought Grendel's mother under the water. 

I just assumed that he did fight her under the water because he goes down, down, down into the lake and is attacked by all kinds of sea creatures on his way to Grendel's mother's cave.  But the kids brought up that maybe it was an underwater cave that wasn't completely full of water.  Maybe you had to swim underwater to get there, but when you got there, you stood up in the cave and there was air.

What do you think?  Send this to all your blog friends who are familiar with BEOWFULF and have them leave me a comment!  I'm curious to learn their thoughts!

So, I have decided to change my look.  I have been doing that lately.  I got a short hair cut a few weeks ago, and in a few more weeks, I think I'm going to go all the way and get a short, short cut -- perfect for motorcycle riding!

What do you think about the rearranging?  I'm not sure yet.  I know it's easier to look at as far as the side bar goes.  But I miss my typewriter.  ;-) 

I also wanted to add a window for subbing to my blog! 

So, tell me what you think?  Do you hate it?  Or is it a nice change?  Or do you even care?  LOL.

I have had an amazing couple of weeks.  The week before last I took my son to Ohio to check out a Bible College.  We had a great time.  Then this past weekend I took my cottage school to Indianapolis to the Children's Museum.  We stayed two nights at the Holiday Inn Caribbean Cove -- an indoor water park -- and the kids had a WONDERFUL TIME.  We had such a blessed, blessed time.  I am grateful.  I'll be posting some pictures soon -- I hope.  I'm still having major computer issues, so have to get in my computer time when I can get access to my husband's or son's computer!  (And they aren't very good at sharing.  LOL.)

What are you up to lately?  Leave me a comment and don't forget to subscribe to my blog!

Have you felt the crunch yet?  With oil over $115 a barrel, gas prices have increased 81 percent from 2003 to now, and according to the World Bank, global food prices have increased over 83 percent. I don't know if you've experienced high food prices where you are, but I have where I am. 

I am not a farmer's wife.  My husband is a pastor and we don't live on a farm.  We get our meat and groceries at the nearby grocery store.  Sometimes we make a run to Wal-mart.  I would like to go to Aldis more often, but there is not one nearby.  The nearest Wal-Mart is 30 minutes away, so I don't make the trip unless it's once a month to do a big monthly purchase of supplies.

I still have three teenage boys living at home and a husband with a healthy appetite.  (Not to mention my own!)  It is costing me $200.00 a week right now to feed them, and trust me, we ain't eatin' steak.

Now, unlike a lot of other families, my family eats all three meals each day from food from our house.  So I feel that I do a pretty good job of feeding us on that amount of money each week.  But it is beginning to get harder and harder to do.  Prices in rural Indiana are sky high. 

What do you pay for a gallon of milk?  Here a gallon of milk ranges from $3.25-$4.00 a gallon depending on which kind of milk you buy.  I can remember just one short year ago that I could get milk at $2.49/gallon and I thought THAT was high!

Cereal:  $5.00 a box.  So, we don't buy cereal unless it's on sale.  We usually eat oatmeal.  Not the flavored kind, the kind you measure out and make yourself.

I am learning a thousand different ways to make a potato and a thousand different ways to make an egg.  We will not starve.  I grew up hungry, and I know how to make a meal stretch.  Americans will probably not go hungry, but I worry about other people in the world. 

Did you know that the USA is importing WHEAT now!?  US!  The breadbasket of the WORLD!  And if we are importing wheat -- what are other people in the world going to eat?  Do I trust wheat grown elsewhere?  No, but I don't really trust any food grown anywhere to be honest, unless it's grown by a local organic farmer.  And even then -- there is no guarantee the food is safe.  (Which is why we pray for God to bless our food, right?)

Dan Glickman, the former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture says that "global wheat supplies are at their 30-year low, and U.S. wheat supplies are at their 60-year low.  Now, I don't think we're going to run out of food in this country, but I do think there are going to be severe shortages outside the United States." 

Hmmm.  Am I the only one who can hear the strains of "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" in the background? 

"A piece of bread can buy a bag of gold....I wish we'd all been ready..."

Jesus said in Matthew 24:5-8:  "Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows."

Doesn't all that sound familiar? 

I'm curious.  What are you doing to get ready for a food shortage?  Anything?  If you're like me, you might not have disposable income to store up anything at all. 

But I am not afraid.  I know that the Word is clear:  "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread"  Psalm 37:5.

I really and truly believe, that if we put our TRUST IN THE LORD, He will not forsake us.  He will deliver us.  And who are the righteous?  Nobody.  That is, unless you have Jesus as your savior.  Then, when God looks at you -- He sees His son and not your sin.  Oh!  What blessed hope!

In the meantime, if we are compelled by the Holy Spirit to store up dried goods -- we would be disobedient not to.  Perhaps we as believers should pray about buying dried goods now before the prices go up even more so that we can share with those who don't have anything to eat later.  It's just a thought.

What have I done?  So far, I have one medium sized rubbermaid tote and in it I have some water, beans and rice.  I don't have anything else yet.  A pastor doesn't make a boatload.  But you know, my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  And I have no doubt, He will take good care of me, no matter what my situation.  As long as I do my part, am a good steward, and obey Him when He tells me what to purchase -- we will be just fine.  And if I miss His voice?  I still believe that God will make a way when there is no way.  If He could provide mannah in the desert, then he will care for me, too.

 

We have a winner!  Tammy (svoca2008) has won a book from bramleybooks.com and the Karen Kingsbury novel, OCEANS APART.  Congratulations, Tammy!

Many of you had questions about my cottage school and my work with children with disabilities, so I will be taking this blog in that direction for a while.  Please post your questions about what I write and I will try and answer them.  I also hope to have more contests as we go along, too!

On the home front:  I got a tooth pulled today.  I'm feeling old because now I will have to get a partial for that part of my mouth as I have lost three teeth in that area.  I'm in a little bit of pain, but not excruciating.  At least the worst part -- getting it removed -- is over!  Now if only I could get my husband to make me some pudding. . .

I hope you all have a wonderful spring and a happy April!  (No foolin'!)  :-)

Hello, Gentle Reader!

Today I'm posting some questions for my readers to answer.  Those who leave their answers will be entered into a drawing for  FREE BOOKS!

The winner will receive a free copy of their choice of a collection of biographies that feature my writing.  Your can choose from either What Really Happened in the Middle Ages (with my chapter on King Wenceslas), or What Really Happened in Ancient Times (with my chapters on Daniel and Noah) or What Really Happened in Colonial Times (my personal favorite with my chapter on Catherine Ferguson)!  (Click here to see these awesome books.)

The winner will also receive the book, Oceans Apart by Karen Kingsbury!  (I love Karen Kingsbury's books!)

Please copy and paste the following questions in your comments box.  Thanks for participating and come back soon!  I hope to have more contests in the future.

I will post the winner of this contest on April 1.  And feel free to send your friends here to take the survey and enter the contest, too!

1.  What types of books do you enjoy reading?  (Non-fiction, fiction, history, science, homeschooling, Christian self-help, biographies, etc.)

2.  What book or kind of book would you like to see published that isn't already published?  (What type of homeschool book, self-help book, deovtional/bible study book, fiction, etc.)

3.  I have 25 years experience as a homeschool Mom and educator.  I currently homeschool in a cottage school setting, where I homeschool my own three children and eight others.  Would you like to know anything about cottage schooling?  If so, what?

4.  I am a pastor's wife have children with disabilities, ride a motorcycle and love animals.  What would you like to know about my experiences?

5.  What type of Christian fiction do you like to read?  (sci-fi, romance, historical, chick lit., suspense, etc.)

Thanks for your help!  Don't forget to leave either a link to your blog or an e-mail address so I can enter you in the drawing! 

    Unlike many of my friends, I have countless warm memories of my grandmother's clothesline.  In the summer, she would wash her clothes in the old wringer washer out in the "wash house."  I loved that wash house.  It was really a shed, painted the same dark red as the barn and the chicken coop, and it held so many old treasures that I loved rummaging through:  old advertisement signs for motor oil, coca cola (my grandpa owned a bike shop) and more; old glass bedpans (my grandmother never let any of her elderly relatives languish in a nursing home); old tools, dishes and more.  I miss that old shed!

But what I miss the most are the memories of washing clothes with Grandma.  She even made her own lye soap, and the clothes came out of that ringer gleaming and stiff.

We would wipe off the clothes line, and hang up the clothes.  I had a little apron to wear that held the clothes pins.  Grandma even embroidered a clothes pin bag that hung on a hanger.  Everything was special in those days. 

Sometimes it was a race with the clouds to get the clothes off the line and into the house before the sky exploded with sweet summer rain.  It was always my job to rescue the clothes and I relished it.   It made me a heroine in Grandma's eyes.

There was nothing like sliding into Grandma's sun-drenched sheets, all stiff and clean and welcoming after a long hard day of caring for chickens, weeding the garden, snapping beans and picking cherries.

I haven't had a clothes line most of my married life and I miss it.  I remember when my kids were babies how much I enjoyed being out of doors, hearing the birds sing, listening to my babies laugh in the laundry basket as I hung up the clothes or gathered them in.  There's something centering about those menial chores.  Sure, it took longer, but it gave a person time to think.  It gave a person a chance to smell the nurturing sweetness of a Mom and Grandma and the sun that shone from God's blue sky.

As you know, I love hokey poems.  Here's the poem that reminded me of those precious days with Grandma!

The Clothesline Said So Much 

A clothesline was a news forecast 
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep 
When clothes were hung to dry. 

It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two. 

For then you'd see the fancy sheets
And towels on the line;
You'd see the company table cloths
With intricate design. 
 
The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride. 

The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You'd know how much they'd grown. 

It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung. 
 
It said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare. 
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare. 

New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors raised their brows,
And looked disgustedly away. 

But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess. 
 
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line! 

         Author: Marilyn K. Walker

Today was a snow day!  I love snow days.  We've had our fair share of them this winter, and I couldn't be happier!  The reason it makes me happy is that it gives me a reprieve from the day to day grind and allows me some time to do really homey and cozy things around the house.

Today I put a gorgeous roast in my roaster with potatoes and carrots.  I haven't done that in so long I can't remember the last time I did!

I am hoping for one more day.  (Greedy, aren't I?)  I just can't think of anything more delicious than a fire in the fireplace, plenty of books to catch up on, hot cocoa and being HOME!!

Speaking of books, my husband bought me the entire system from Dr. Don Colbert's The Seven Pillars of Health.  It was his Valentine's gift to me.  It's a box full of books, DVDs (including one to exercise to), a workbook and a journal plus a hardback book to read.  Whew.  So, I have my devotional material to read for the next 50 days.  (It's a 50 day program.)  I will let you know how it is!

I am so amazed at God's timing because I had already been trying to eat more whole foods as opposed to processed foods.  God is so good.  My husband ordered this for me on Valentine's day.  He hates to read, so I know he wants me to read it so I can share the info with him.

The government is so perplexed as to why American's are obese, and I can easily tell them why.  It's because the average family can't afford whole foods.  Processed foods are so much cheaper.  I paid 33% more for groceries last week because I bought raw veggies and fruits.  Normally we don't because of the cost.  Not to mention the cost of meat.  And in the little town we live in, it's outrageous.  It's difficult to justify spending so much for food, but really, food should be a priority above everything else.  But for a lot of families, shelter and fuel have to come first, don't they?

But God whispered in my ear that if I was faithful, He would be faithful to provide.  So I need to try very hard to do this. 

Will you pray with me as I begin this journey?

Other books on my reading list:
The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud

And I have a Kingsbury novel I want to break into. I don't get to just sit and read fiction very often but since I enjoy writing fiction, I want to learn all I can from other writers!

And I also have a tall pile of books on literature and publishing I hope to get to.  Too many books -- so little time.  (I even have a tote bag that says that LOL.)

Well, the natives are asking me for dinner, and thankfully I have been cooking all day (okay, my crockpot has) so I guess it's time to feed the troops!

Happy Snowy Reading Day!

My oldest is going to be 28 this year, and my babies (twin boys) just turned 13.  I think that means I am getting old.

We spent all day Saturday at the mall looking for Heelys big enough to fit them.  They have autism, and since Heelys are all the rage with their friends -- who are younger, by the way -- they want Heelys, too.

Well, the mall didn't have any.  So, I am on a search for Heelys in men's size 11.  I am discovering they are very rare.  If you happen to know someone who can help me, let me know!

Here's a poem from one of my favorite poets, Edgar A. Guest, that sums up how it feels to invest in our children yet store within our hearts that knowledge that they are God's -- not ours alone.  My babies are growing up.  And that's as it should be.

Tell me something.  Do I have a sign on my forehead that says, "disrespect me, I don't have feelings?"  Why is it that while I try so hard to be nice to everyone else -- everyone else is so MEAN to ME?

Okay, so I exaggerate.  Not EVERYONE else is mean to me.  But a lot of people ARE!

This morning a lady in church proceeded to correct me (this lady is often correcting me) in front of the kids (again as usual) and I just wilted.  Apparently some craft supplies hadn't gotten put back where she wanted it.  Well, there had been a snow day on Friday so I wasn't there at the church to put it back from the day before when I had a substitute for my cottage school.  (I had to take one my sons to the cardiologist.)  I tried to explain this to her, but she would have none of it.  Now she is all mad at me because of it.  I'm not sure why she is mad.  She might be mad because I tried to explain it to her.  I don't know.  I am praying hard about this, but I'm deeply hurt and frustrated!  It seems like every time I see this person she is critical and I'm afraid that one of these days I'm going to say something I shouldn't!

Later, in the grocery store parking lot, while I'm  putting my groceries in the back seat (two birthday balloons for my twins and two birthday cakes for the twins) a lady in the truck next to my car bellows, "did your door leave a mark on my truck?" 

"No," I replied.  "It didn't touch your truck."

"Yes it did," she snarked back.  "I heard it."

Well, folks.  It didn't.  I told her she could get out and look if she wanted.  She didn't say anything.  Then, her husband showed up, and she said, "We're leaving now!"  I guess she wanted me to shut my door just then, but I was hanging half in and half out!  They screeched off!  They could have taken the door off my car and me with it!

And,to top it all off, when I went to put my new shoes on for church tonight, I found them mutilated -- my dog-gone dog had eaten them.

Deep breath.  Count to ten.  Recite the Gettysburg Address.

Tonight at church the lady who likes to correct me wouldn't talk to me.  She is REALLY mad. 

I sat in church thinking, for 25 years I have come to church, supported my pastor-husband, sat in the pew and often pretended that all is right with the world, when what I really wanted to do was quit, run away, avoid people, never do one more thing to help anybody.  What good does it do?  People don't appreciate anything anyway!

"God!" I cried, "I don't want to do this anymore!  I am tired of people being so impatient with me when I am patient with them.  I am tired of people being mean and rude when I am polite and gentle.  I am a gentle soul.  Why is it that people can be so hurtful?"

"What?  What's that Lord?  You. . .You are gentle, too?  What?  Oh yes.  I remember.  You probably would have liked to run away when it came time to go to the cross.  I mean, I might be sweating buckets of frustration and resentment while my husband preaches and people behind me judge me from their pews, but you prayed in the garden and sweat blood."

"You were--and are--kind to people, and you get spit on.  You were--and are--gentle to people and heal them, and on the cross, instead of comfort, you were offered guile to drink.  You tend to people's broken hearts but in return you received 40 lashes that tore your flesh to shreds."

If I stop to remember that Jesus did plenty of inconvenient things for us, and that He did them, not only for me, but for those very people being mean to me, I get a different perspective.  If I get my eyes on Him and not my problem -- then I can deal.

Then -- I can breath.  Then -- I can forgive. 

But it's only through Him.  Because with all the meanness aimed at me today, if it weren't for Him, I could easily become a hermit and never come out of my cave. 

Like someone said, if you stick your neck out, you're liable to get your head chopped off.  I guess it's better to be trying to do something for the Lord and be misjudged, than to hide and do nothing at all.  Too many people need Him.  And too many people need me to show the grace and peace that only God can give.

But there's still that side of me that wants to fight back!  I can so relate to Peter when he lopped off the soldier's ear in the garden when they came to get Jesus!  If Peter hadn't done it, if I were there, I probably would have!

Jesus wants me to continue to be a lover and not a fighter.  I have to remember to keep my dukes down and respond with the same kind of love that Jesus showed toward the very people who spit on Him on the way to the cross.

Because -- Love Never Fails.

My twins with autism will be 13 in a few weeks.  My son who is 17 has a diagnosis of bipolar and they all don't get along because of their cognitive problems.  The twins really frustrate my 17 year old and he has a very hard time handling stress.   He also has pragmatic semantic disorder and he doesn't know which things to get really upset about, so he gets upset about every little thing that they do instead of being able to ignore certain behaviors.  

Just keep in mind as you read this post that this blog is entitled "Let's Get Real."  This post might get a little ugly.  If you have a perfect little family with perfectly behaved children, you will be shocked and horrified.  It might be too much for you to handle, and you might want to read someone else's blog! 

I haven't had a real bath since December.  (I have taken showers!  I'm not THAT gross!  LOL.)  But I love my baths.  I usually try to get a "spa morning" in every Saturday but haven't had a chance.  Today I thought I'd try it.  Well, it ended pretty much like I thought it would.  The kids got in a horrible fight, food ended up on the walls, and they were yelling and screaming at one another.  (My husband wasn't home.)

This behavior is so daily that it really gets to me.  I feel so guilty sending the twins to daycare after six and a half hours of school so I can get a couple of hours of a break from them (I teach them at our cottage school all day) but I really don't know what else to do other than have someone come in and help me but that's not possible right now.

Sometimes the chaos that is autism makes me want to hide, you know?  We've all been there.

What helps me get through this sometimes is thinking about mothers with triplets or quints or some such thing.  I then don't let myself feel sorry for myself that way, but it's hard not to.

I think the hardest thing about being a parent is accepting and embracing the need to give our day to God and let Him order our steps and if plan A doesn't work out, then go to plan B.  Believe me, there have been days when I needed to go all the way to plan Z.  I used to be a type A personality wanting things done a certain way -- and I have had to learn SO MUCH in parenting these special kids!  Sometimes I wonder if it's really true that God will not give us more than we can handle, but really, if we let HIM DO IT and flow through us, then it IS true. 

And I'm preaching to myself, sisters!!!

Someday I will have more time for baths.  But sometimes it feels like this is going to last forever and that the boys will never be independent enough to live on their own someday.  But I can't worry about tomorrow because to do so would be to sin (Mark 10, Luke 12). I have to only think about "the next thing." 

"Just do the next thing, Karla," I say to myself.

And sometimes, the next thing, is just to pause, pray, and rest in God while the mashed potatoes go slithering down the wall.

I suppose if I can find peace in the midst of the chaos, then I have truly learned to lean on Him.

I just found a great printable that is going to help me keep track of my New Year's resolutions!  The main reason resolutions fail is because we fail to plan.  Well, here's a helpful way to figure out your patterns of when you exercise, or when you don't; when  you read  your bible, and when you don't, etc.

Have fun!

http://www.vertex42.com/calendars/resolution-checklist.html

Oh, and check out my entry at my new blog at:  http://highcallingblogs.com/karlaakins

I haven't decided whether to just blog there or to blog both places.  If I do move -- I hope you'll come with me!  I will miss you if you don't!

Happy New Year!

I have a new granddaughter!  Avery Hope, born Dec. 28, 6 pounds 14 ounces.  She is just a little doll!  You can see her picture here:

http://averyhope.blogspot.com/


For those who wanted to see my anniversary pictures you can see them here:

http://eddiekarla.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year!!

    What a MONTH it has been for us!

    Christmas for a teacher, pastor's wife and musician begins the day after Thanksgiving.  And this year was no exception.  Add to it a 25th Anniversary bash/wedding and a funeral and you have one dog-tired Mommy!

    Dec. 1 -- Wedding/Anniversary.  I spent the entire week before that decorating nine Christmas trees, cleaning my house, and getting things ready at the church.

    Dec. 4 -- Our friend Murel passes away.  We rush home from our honeymoon.

    Dec.  7 -- My husband is my friend's pastor so he had the funeral to prepare for, and I had to oversee getting the preparation details taken care of:  making sure the sanctuary was ready, food for the family during visitation and a meal after the funeral.

    Dec. 10 -- Ladies Fellowship (of which I'm president) has their Christmas Party.  Yours truly decorates and prepares for it pretty much alone because the funeral threw off timing for asking for help.

    Dec. 12 -- I take my cottage school to Amish Acres to see "White Christmas."

    Dec. 14 -- I take my cottage school Christmas shopping all day.  (Am I NUTS?)

    Dec. 15 -- Christmas Program Rehearsal.  Guess who is directing that?  We kept it very simple this year.  The kids played bells and we had some readings.  I am so grateful to the Holy Spirit Who lead me not to do a play with costumes this year!

    Dec. 16 -- SNOW STORM!  Yee haw!  God gives me two days at home!  That gave me time to get some packages wrapped, packed and mailed!  The Christmas Program gets postponed until next Sunday.

    Dec. 17-21 -- Christmas activities at cottage school!  We make presents for parents, do Christmas artwork, and play Christmas games.  Regular school work is out of the question!  We also cooked!

    Dec. 18 -- We have our Christmas Reception on Wed. night because we normally have it after the Christmas program.  Since the program will be in the morning service, we won't have the reception and the cookies and punch are already bought!  So, after school, my son and I set up for that.  After the party we set up for the school party the next day.  I am beginning to get a Martha Stewart complex! 

    Dec. 20 -- Christmas Party at Cottage school.  What fun!  Lots of food, lots of presents, lots of love and excitement.

    Dec. 21 -- 1/2 day of school.  Our family goes to see a movie together (a very RARE event!).  We catch a matinee and my thrifty husband has coupons so we are all able to get a popcorn and soda!  After that we go to a lady's house who has adopted our kids as her grandkids.  Our kids' grandparents live hundreds of miles away, and this lady has really blessed my children with attention and love.  We exchange gifts and stuff ourselves on pizza!

    Dec. 23 -- Christmas Program this morning!  Everyone looks so nice in their Sunday Best.  My boys wore the suits they wore for the wedding.  We had a bell choir and they did a great job. 

    Just as we were ready to march in, I look at my son's feet.  He is 12, has autism, and is doing a pretty good job of getting himself ready these days.  I look at his feet and it is then that I realize I am not going to win "mother of the year" again this year. 

    My son is going to stand up on stage wearing two left shoes.

    This morning I had made sure they all had socks that matched.  I made sure they had no wrinkles in their shirts.  I made sure they each had the right jacket and pair of pants.  I found all their neckties.

    I never dreamed I'd have to check the shoes!

    My oldest son had worn a different pair of shoes this morning instead of the shoes that match his brothers.  That's how that extra shoe came into play.

    Then, as we are doing the play, two songs before the Jesus birthday cake is to be rolled in on a  cart I realize I never took it out of the freezer and put it on the cart!  Fortunately, my oldest son was on the front row taking pictures of my granddaughter.  I motioned to him quickly, filled him in on the situation, and he saved the day!

    Whew!

    I am sooo looking forward to just spending some time cooking for my OWN family and spending time with them! 

    After all -- isn't that what Christmas is all about?

    Tomorrow I will be baking homemade rolls requested by my oldest son.  Tonight I'm going to put the turkey in the roaster and roast it ahead of time.  (I will be serving both ham and turkey on Christmas -- I'm not much into pork.) I also have pies and salads and many other things to cook.  I love to cook for the holidays!

    Tomorrow we have the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at the church, but fortunately I don't have to do anything except play piano for the service and enjoy it.  We love this tradition in our family.  It gives us a good start and helps us teach our children the true meaning of the holiday.  After that, we've been invited to some friends' house for some games and fun.  We normally don't do that on Christmas Eve, but we are going to go because the lady who lost her husband (our friend) will be there, and she is looking forward to us going. 

    On Christmas day we will get up, share presents, and I will cook and cook and cook!  I can hardly wait!

    Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology.  For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

I LOVE snow!

I am in snow heaven with the winter storm that has hit us.  So far we have at least 10-15 inches of snow on the ground.  Yippee!!  I love it.

Tomorrow there is no cottage school since the winds are so high and drifting the snow everywhere.  So that gives me an extra day of getting some Christmas things accomplished around here!  Isn't God good?

I haven't posted in awhile because of the blur of activity around here.  My husband and I renewed our wedding vows with a full-blown fantasy Christmas wedding for our 25th anniversary.  Then, we went on a short get-away which was so fun because we never had a first honeymoon.

I hope to post pictures and all the details about the wedding over the Christmas break.

We are expecting a new grandbaby in the family any day now!  I can hardly wait to meet her!

On the last day of our "honeymoon" getaway, a dear friend of ours died from a massive heart attack.  We cut our "honeymoon" short to return home and minister to the family.  It was quite a shock and still hasn't sunk in.  He was our church's "doorkeeper."  You could depend on him to turn out the lights, lock up the church, turn down the thermostat. But more than that, you could always depend on a friendly smile and handshake from Murel.  He went out of his way to make you feel welcome.  He is terribly missed.  He was only 56 years old.  Too young.  But Murel really struggled with diabetes and heart problems, so I know he is now pain free, eating whatever he wants, and I just wish I could see him flying around heaven.  Murel loved life and was so enthusiastic about Jesus.  I miss him very much.

It has been insane around here between the wedding, the funeral and getting ready for the Christmas program.  We had to cancel our program for tonight due to the weather and we will have it next Sunday morning, weather permitting of course.  :-) 

    After the show we had their "Little Threshers Dinner" which the kids all loved.  I bought my Dad something (that I won't say here until after Christmas).  I love Amish made goods.

    Friday I took all nine students and two Moms Christmas shopping and I survived!  Actually, the kids were really, really well behaved.  I was so proud of them.  We got back and wrapped gifts for their parents and family.  It's a tradition I've kept with my cottage school kids.  Tomorrow I get to help my own children wrap their gifts for their siblings.  That's a tradition I love. 

I have chocolate chip cookies in the oven.  I made a huge pot of pasta tonight for supper and there's enough left over for lunch tomorrow.  The kids' tummies are happy, and I am thrilled to be HOME!  :-)

Merry Christmas!

    Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday!  I love it more than any other. 

    When I was younger I loved it because of my grandma's amazing cooking.  She made the best of everything and I remember leaving her table so stuffed I could hardly roll myself over to the couch for a nap.  I would fall asleep with the wonderful aromas of sage and pumpkin pie spices still tickling my nose, and find comfort in the voices of my grandmother and aunts as they lingered at the table talking of Thanksgivings long ago and the people who no longer graced our table.


    But as I have gotten older, (and done most of the cooking myself on this holiday!)I have grown to appreciate more than anything the opportunity to halt the incessant speeding train of our hectic lives and give thanks.

    Nothing cheers a person up more than to sit back and take inventory of their blessings.  Feeling blue?  Count your blessings.  Feeling bitter?  Count your blessings.  Feeling negative, discouraged, snarky?  Count your blessings!  The hymn "Count your blessings" was one of my favorites as a child and expresses exactly what I mean:

Year five!

I am doing National Novel Writing Month  for the fifth year this year.  I have an idea for my novel and it's going to be a great time learning all about my characters.  It's always an adventure learning where they are going to take me.  I am going to pound out 50,000 words in the month of November.  What FUN.  I love doing this each year, and I think your kids would, too.  There's a section on the website that's just for kids.  Check it out for your high schooler! 

For adults:  http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node

For kids:  http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

My high schoolers are writing novels this year.  We have been using the book WRITING FOR GOD'S GLORY and have done all the worksheets to prepare them.  They aren't going to do NaNoWriMo this year but I plan on having them do it next year.

You should give it a try.  It's exhilarating!  I have no idea how I'm going to manage to pound out 50,000 words this month since I have so many other things on my plate, but it seems like I manage to use all my spare time doing so somehow!

Write on!!