Enough About Me

...let’s talk about me.

Last night Stephen Colbert talked about narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. I laughed so hard I nearly wet my pants (OK, so that's not saying much). The point is, I found it hilarious.

I may be somewhat narcissistic but I can say for sure that I don’t have narcissistic personality disorder. Although I have wished for it. Life would be so much simpler if I never empathized with anyone.

After Colbert and before I fell asleep, I read the story in John 4 about Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. Now here's a woman I can relate to. Not on every level, mind you (knock on wood). But in some ways she reminds me of me. I guess that's why I like her so much.

So, Jesus is traveling around town; he's tired and thirsty. He stops at a well and asks the woman who "happens" to be standing there to get him a drink. He spends some of his precious time on Earth talking with her. We get only so many pages in the Bible to hear about Jesus’ life and they spend almost a whole page on this chick.

She thinks the fact that he’s speaking with her is pretty amazing. First of all she’s a woman, secondly a Samaritan (Jews didn't associate with Samaritans), and third, she’s had five husbands. To top it off, she was living with a sixth man when Jesus stopped by looking for a drink.

She doesn't even know about the being recorded for posterity part yet.

Jesus tells her about “living water” and salvation. She says, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.” John 4:19. “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” John 4:25.

Jesus looks at her, with what I imagine to be a tender loving gaze, and declares, “I who speak to you am He.” John 4:26

I think, “Here this woman is...she’s talking to Christ and doesn’t even know it. I wonder how long it took her to get around to fetching him some water.” I smile, shake my head, and go to bed thinking…

That is totally something I would do.

Spring Break Feverish

At this moment my children are probably abandoned on a desolate beach, left without food, potable water, or a means to communicate with their Mother. (They texted me yesterday.) Still, I imagine them surrounded by bandits, enduring unspeakable atrocities, exposed to a plethora of contagious and deadly diseases.

Worse, I'm convinced they haven't applied sunscreen since Saturday when I surreptitiously slathered their faces one last time as I leaned into their father's SUV to kiss them good-bye.

If they do survive, they will almost certainly endure 97th degree sunburns, leading to severe chronic pain and causing each of them, successively, at the tender age of 22, to develop skin cancer just as they initiate brilliant careers and begin producing the grandchildren I have awaited since the moment my eldest child was conceived.

Meanwhile, I'm chilling out after attending the Chris Tomlin concert Sunday night.

Praise the Lord for Chris Tomlin, "You see the depths of my heart and you love me the same. You are amaaazzziiinnngg G-ahhh-dddd. You are amazing God."

Without his music I would really be a basket case.

I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ, who is faithful in all circumstances, bless you and your families today.
xoxox and :) ;)
Cheeky

John 14:27

Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Never believe anything...

until it's officially denied.

"Mexican government is not on the verge of collapse, the top US intelligence official said Thursday, seeking to tamp down increasing alarm over the ..."
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090326/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_intelligence_blair

Yesterday when I signed the documents permitting my ex-husband to take the kids out of the country for spring break, the notary witness offered, "Mexico is very scary right now." Noting my trepidation, he then mumbled something conciliatory.

"Oh, really?!?! I hadn't heard!!," I wanted to say. A fresh pang. The Midwestern need to reassure, "Yes, I'm the Mother who thinks it's a bad idea," I answered with a pathetically hopeful smile. Lord please tell me I'm not signing away my childrens' lives.

I don't want the Mexican government to collapse. Ever. But if it does, I pray that holds off until, say, mid-April. That would work much better for my children and me.

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Matthew 6:34, I tell myself. I also tell myself: Breathe.

I also pray for you: for your relatives in Fargo, your homes, your jobs. You and your kids. Your lives in general.

Bless you beautiful ladies and one beautiful gentleman. Thanks for reading. I pray that you have a peace-of-the-Lord filled Saturday.
xoxox,
Cheeky

Hebrews 11:1

"...Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Why This Blog?

Once a week, I mentor a group of 5th grade authors. During our first meeting, one girl was completely comfortable explaining she has two homes.

Another other girl skirted the issue, “The phone number at Mom’s is…this is my Dad’s cell…”, instead of coming right out and saying “My parents are divorced. That's why I have 57 different phone numbers I can't keep track of.”

She slouched. She shrank like six inches. She turned sideways and peered up through her bangs. I asked, “Are your parents divorced?” She nodded sheepishly.

I had never before met this girl. We were sitting in an antiseptic public school room. More than anything at that moment I wanted to wrap her in my arms and say that everything would be OK, that she was loved, that she was beautiful and intelligent and that she should hold her head high. If I did that it would be my last day in any classroom.

Instead to my surprise, I raised my arms in the air touchdown style and cheered, “So am I!”, as if we had just discovered we shared a birthday or that we both loved eating half-melted chocolate ice cream with a plastic spoon.

I have never been a cheerleader. Mostly because I was too uncoordinated to make the squad. But in that moment, I became one.

I thought about my own children. How did they handle similar situations? Possibly they hung their heads and spoke hesitantly of our divorce. I hope not. Maybe like the first girl, they spoke confidently. Maybe they are totally fine with it. But the thing is, I don’t know for sure.

And then I realized that even when I was asked to explain it, sometimes I was totally fine with it and other times, not so much.

So I started this blog because I wanted a space for divorced Moms to be able to support one another and to discuss the most important thing: Faith in Christ. In the past ten years I've written nothing but thank you notes that weren't prompt enough and one embarrassing Christmas letter. When my writing instructor said “You should start a blog,” I thought, “Yeah, right” but subconsciously began pondering it in a noncommittal, vague sort of way. “Never underestimate the power of community,” she had said.

Thanks, beautiful church ladies, for spending some of your precious time in this community today. I know you don’t have much to spare.

As Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, “May the Lord…give you peace at all times and in every way.”